Russia begins major offensive in eastern Ukraine

Dusseldorf Ukraine sees the start of a full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine. Such a maneuver had been expected since the withdrawal of Russian forces from many regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in one of his nightly video addresses on Sunday evening: “We can now state that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass for which they have been preparing for a long time.”

A very large part of the Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Ukrainian chief of staff Andriy Yermak sees this as the beginning of the “second phase of the war”.

In the early morning, Ukrainian media reported a series of explosions, some of them violent, along the front line in the eastern region of Donetsk and shelling in Marinka, Slavjansk and Kramatorsk.

There were also explosions in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, in Mykolaiv in the south and in Zaporizhia in the southeast. Air raid sirens wailed in many cities and towns. Reuters has not yet been able to verify the reports.

The US Department of Defense has also confirmed that Russian forces are being reinforced in the east and south of the country. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday in Washington that more than ten so-called tactical combat units had been deployed there in the past few days. The Russian military is also flying more airstrikes in the Donbass and on the port city of Mariupol.

At the same time, Kirby spoke of the “chronic difficulties” of the Russian troops in the areas of logistics, communication, operational maneuvers and cooperation between air and ground forces. “It remains to be seen whether they have got these problems under control and are now able to act more efficiently in Donbass,” the Pentagon spokesman said.

Battles for Mariupol

Meanwhile, Russian forces remain focused on taking over the embattled port city of Mariupol. The Ukrainian General Staff reported rocket and bomb attacks. Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers would also be used. The Ukrainians did not follow the call to surrender.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal announced a fight “to the end” on US broadcaster ABC. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of wanting to raze Mariupol to the ground. Several thousand Ukrainian fighters are said to have holed up there in a steelworks – and there are also numerous civilians.

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The local Ukrainian regiment “Azov” also again called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. Commander Denys Prokopenko said in a video message released on Monday that the Asovstal steelworks site was being attacked by Russian troops with artillery, bunker-busting bombs and rockets. In addition, pictures were shown – apparently from a bomb shelter on the factory premises with women and children next to laundry hanging between bunk beds.

In the video, a boy says: “When someone shoots, everything shakes around here.” A woman speaks into the camera: “Everything was taken from us. At least let us live a little longer.” Prokopenko called on all “civilized countries” to ensure the immediate evacuation and protection of civilians and wounded soldiers. The corpses of soldiers were also to be taken out of the factory.

New attacks are also being reported in other regions. According to Ukrainian sources, 3 people were killed and 15 injured in the shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. “The shells fell right in front of houses, on children’s playgrounds and near humanitarian aid centers,” Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Monday evening. He accused the Russian army of attacking civilians.

The information could not initially be checked independently. Suspected rocket hits were reported from the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv in the evening. “Several explosions occurred in Mykolaiv. We are in the process of examining the situation,” Mayor Olexander Senkevych said.

According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv is still threatened by Russian attacks. “Kyiv was and remains a target of the aggressor,” Klitschko said via telegram on Monday evening. He urged the residents of the metropolis who had fled to stay in a safer place.

“Based on the military data and recent developments, we cannot rule out that Kyiv is still threatened by rocket attacks,” said Klitschko. Bullets were recently fired at some districts. “Therefore we cannot guarantee security in the city.” There are still many checkpoints in Kyiv and there is also a night curfew.

Biden is not planning a trip to Ukraine

In Washington, US President Joe Biden rejects Zelenski’s requests to travel to Ukraine. There are no such plans, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in Washington on Monday. The US government is concentrating on sending military equipment to the country attacked by Russia. If a member of the government travels to Ukraine, this will only be communicated after arrival for security reasons.

Selenski had called on Biden to personally assess the situation after more than seven weeks of war. “I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come and see this,” he told CNN. According to US media, the US government is considering whether Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin or Secretary of State Antony Blinken may travel to Ukraine.

However, Biden announced that he wanted to come to an agreement with the western allies again this Tuesday. “The President will convene a video call with allies and partners to discuss our continued support for Ukraine and our efforts to hold Russia to account, as part of our close coordination,” the statement said.

With agency material from dpa and Reuters

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