Ukraine is bracing for a large onslaught in its eastern region as civilians tried to escape the Donetsk and Luhansk areas in the face of Russian attacks along the route.
“Russian troops will move to even larger operations in the east of our state,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the nation late Sunday. “But we are preparing for their actions. We will respond.”
The eastern part of Ukraine is already reeling. Mr. Zelenskyy said he fears that tens of thousands of people have been killed in the southeastern city of Mariupol, and officials in Kramatorsk updated the death toll from a strike at a crowded train station to at least 57.
Persons at the station were attempting to flee as Russian forces withdrew from Kyiv and focused on the east.
“Russian shelling has continued in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with Ukrainian forces repulsing several assaults resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles, and artillery equipment,” the British Ministry of Defense said in its daily update Monday.
It said civilians are at greater risk because of imprecise airstrikes.
“Russia’s continued reliance on unguided bombs decreases their ability to discriminate when targeting and conducting strikes while greatly increasing the risk of further civilian casualties,” the ministry said.
