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| Service members of pro-Russian troops drive an armoured vehicle during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 |
According to Defense View, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior officials said Russian troops launched a new offensive on Monday. They say that Russian troops are launching a new offensive in most of the eastern flank of Ukraine.
It also marks that the 'battle of the Donbas' has now begun. Sources reported that Russia launched its long-feared full-scale offensive to take control of eastern Ukraine on Monday. Ukrainian officials said Russian troops were striking along a broad front, more than 480 km (300 miles) away.
The attack by Russian troops was considered to mark the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. In recent weeks, Russia's military campaign has been refocused on the eastern region of the Donbas, which has been partly controlled by pro-Moscow separatists since 2014. Donbas is also home to much of Ukraine's industrial wealth, including coal and steel.
"We can now confirm that Russian troops have started the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram late Monday. "No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves," he added.
In anticipation of the casualties of the Russian troops attack, the Ukrainian authorities have urged the people of the Donbas to flee to the west. Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, called the attack "the second phase of the war".
Even so, Andriy Yermak still reassured the Ukrainians that their troops could withstand the attack. "Trust our soldiers, they are very strong," Yermak said, quoted from a source. Pushed back by Ukrainian resistance in the north, Russia has refocused its ground offensive on the two eastern provinces known as the Donbas.
Simultaneously, Russia also launched long-range attacks on other targets including the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. South of the Donbas, Russia continued its efforts to capture the besieged port city of Mariupol. Rumors were widely circulated that Russian troops dropped bombs to destroy the Azovstal steel mill where many Ukrainian troops were hiding.
The Eurasian Times report said that Russian Tu-22M bombers crossed into Ukrainian airspace and fired targeted bombs at Ukrainian troops in the port city of Mariupol. On April 16, the Russian army finally announced the capture of the Azovstal steel mill and marked complete control of Mariupol.
Then on Monday, explosions also rocked Lviv in a rare and deadly attack on the western Ukrainian city. The region has remained until recently a safe haven for refugees, Western officials and the media as Russia invaded further east.
Ukrainian officials say at least seven people were killed in the Russian missile attack. In the Izyum area, large military convoys have been observed and consist mostly of multiple Grad rocket launchers. In the image shown, the military is likely carrying at least 12 multiple launch rocket systems, but could also carry a high number.
If you look at the direction of movement of the MLRS Grad column, it is likely that a large-scale attack on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass will be carried out in the near future. In recent days, Russia has suddenly deployed a variety of sophisticated weapons to the Ukrainian battlefield.
A variety of cutting-edge weapons that have never been seen before in conflict have now surfaced. As was the case with the Tu-22M strategic bomber which was used for the first time in the conflict to destroy Mariupol. There were also FAB-3000 bombs that the Tu-22M carried on missions to bomb Mariupol and Ukrainian military facilities.