Russia's attacks in eastern Ukraine mark a new phase in the war as U.S. officials believe they will prelude a major offensive in the Donbas region, a senior U.S. Defense Department official said Tuesday.
The assault, stretching some 300 miles from northeastern Ukraine to the country’s southeast since Monday, comes as Russia continues to add to its forces in Ukraine and resupply those already inside the country, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence findings.
The Russians inserted two battalion tactical groups into Ukraine in the last day, to increase the number to 78, the official said. Russian battalions vary in size from about 800 to 1,000 troops.
Both Ukrainian and Russian officials acknowledged Tuesday the war had entered a new phase. Ukraine’s military said “the occupiers made an attempt to break through our defenses along nearly the entire frontline,” while Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the goal was "full liberation" in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ukrainian forces said Russia was dropping heavy bombs to flatten the remains of a steel plant and hit a hospital where hundreds were staying in Mariupol.
The Russians, who invaded Feb. 24, have faced a spirited and effective resistance from Ukrainian troops and lost about 25% of the combat force deployed by President Vladimir Putin, the U.S. official said.
The new phase of the war and resupplied Russian forces came as President Joe Biden was expected to announce a new security assistance package in the coming days that will include additional artillery and ammunition, according to a U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, though details of the package were still being finalized.
Last week, in anticipation of Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine, Biden approved an $800 million package including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery. The U.S. has sent about $2.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.
► Malcolm Nance, a former MSNBC foreign affairs analyst, joined military forces in Ukraine to help the country fend off Russia. He told MSNBC in an interview he was "done talking" and joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine last month to "do something about" the conflict after seeing what he called the "extermination" of civilians.
►The International Atomic Energy Agency says direct phone communications between the decommissioned Chernobyl power plant and Ukraine’s nuclear regulator have been restored after the plant was seized by Russian forces weeks earlier.
►Russians took control of Kreminna on Monday after “leveling everything to the ground,” and evacuations are impossible, Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said on Ukrainian TV.
►Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday awarded honors to a military brigade Ukraine has accused of committing war crimes in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, CNN and the Washington Post reported.