Thursday, 28 Mar 2024

Russia fires missile barrage at Ukraine in ‘softening up’ before Donbas push

Russia fires missile barrage at Ukraine in ‘softening up’ before Donbas push


Russia fires missile barrage at Ukraine in ‘softening up’ before Donbas push

Russia has unleashed a barrage of long-range missiles against Ukraine, in what analysts described as a "softening up" exercise before a major military push by Moscow to conquer the eastern Donbas region.

Four Russian rockets smashed into the western city of Lviv on Monday, killing seven people and injuring at least 11. Three hit military infrastructure. But the fourth appeared to have missed its target and landed in a car repair workshop.

The mayor of Lviv accused the Kremlin of genocide after the attack and said there were no longer any "safe" or "unsafe" areas left in Ukraine.

Andriy Sadovyi said: "What we see today is genocide. It's a deliberate action by the aggressor to kill peaceful civilians. All our cities and villages are in the same situation."

Russia claimed its strikes were conducted against exclusively military targets. The attack came amid expectations of a large-scale offensive by Moscow over the coming days to try to seize the administrative borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

After failing to capture the capital, Kyiv, Moscow has said its focus is now on the east. It appears determined to grab territory under Ukrainian control. This includes the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which are adjacent to areas administered since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists.

There is speculation Vladimir Putin is determined to declare victory in Ukraine in time for the annual 9 May parade on Red Square in Moscow. But Russia's numerically superior army will first have to overcome dogged Ukrainian defenders in the east, who are well-trained and dug in.

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