Russia-backed separatist forces are trying to storm the Azovstal metallurgical plant in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol, the RIA news agency quoted separatist spokesperson Eduard Basurin as saying on Tuesday.
The separatists aim to ”liberate” the facility as quickly as possible, RIA quoted another separatist, Denis Pushilin, as saying.
Meanwhile, Russia has launched a major offensive into eastern Ukraine, authorities in Kyiv said, opening a new phase of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to capture the capital.
The United States is due to hold a video meeting with allies Tuesday to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow’s military campaign has refocused on the eastern region of Donbas, partly controlled by pro-Kremlin separatists since 2014.
“We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun 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.”
Ahead of the widely anticipated advance, Ukrainian authorities had urged people in Donbas to flee west to escape.
“The second phase of the war has started,” Kyiv’s presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said.
Control of Donbas would allow Moscow to create a southern corridor to the occupied Crimean peninsula.
In the south of the region, Russia continued its push to capture the besieged port city of Mariupol, where the last remaining Ukrainian forces have taken a final stand.
But despite the desperate situation in the city, a senior US Defence Department official said Mariupol “is still contested”.
Russia has also added 11 battalion tactical groups — consisting of, among other things, artillery, helicopters, and logistical support — to its forces in east Ukraine, the official added, bringing the total to 76 in the country.
Monday also saw the first shipments of a new US military aid package arrive at Ukraine’s borders to be handed over in its fight against the Russian invasion.
The United States on April 13 unveiled an $800-million tranche of equipment for Ukraine, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers.
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