Zelensky: "Russia Begins Donbas Offensive"...7 Dead in Lviv Airstrike

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Ukrainian authorities have announced that Russia has launched a full-scale offensive on the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. Prior to the Donbas offensive, Russia conducted large-scale airstrikes on Lviv in western Ukraine, where Western support is concentrated, resulting in increased civilian casualties.

According to AFP on the 18th (local time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on his Telegram account, "The long-prepared Russian offensive on Donbas has begun," emphasizing, "No matter how many Russian troops flood in, we will fight to the end." Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to the President, also said, "The second phase of the war has begun in the Donbas region."

The Donbas region is already known to be the site of a large-scale advance by Russian forces. Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk Oblast in Donbas, posted on his Facebook account that "Russian troops, equipped with massive equipment, have entered the city. The offensive has begun," adding, "Evacuation is impossible."

According to the Associated Press, U.S. and Western intelligence agencies estimate that Russia has deployed approximately 50,000 to 70,000 troops in the Donbas area of Ukraine. Russian forces have reportedly halted frontline expansion in recent weeks and recruited over 40,000 elite troops from various locations, primarily Syria, to reinforce their ranks.

Before the Donbas offensive, Russian forces launched a large-scale airstrike on Lviv in western Ukraine. According to The New York Times (NYT), five Russian missiles struck Lviv, resulting in at least seven deaths in the city alone. NYT also reported that citizens who had fled and were returning to Kyiv were stranded.

The U.S. government is reportedly considering designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism as part of additional sanctions. CNN, citing a senior U.S. official, reported, "The U.S. State Department is reviewing all available means to hold Russia accountable, including the possibility of designating it as a state sponsor of terrorism." Earlier, President Zelensky is said to have directly requested President Joe Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Currently, the countries designated by the U.S. as state sponsors of terrorism are North Korea, Cuba, Iran, and Syria.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.