Russian rockets and missiles have hit cities in raids that Kyiv says have killed dozens in recent days. “It’s not just air and sea missile attacks,” Vadym Skibitskyi, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, said on Saturday. “We can see shelling all over the contact line, all over the front line. There is active use of tactical aviation and attack helicopters. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “There is indeed some activation of the enemy all along the front line. . . . It is clear that preparations are now underway for the next stage of the offensive.” The Ukrainian military said Russia appeared to be regrouping units for an attack on Sloviansk, a symbolically important Ukrainian-held city in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine says at least 40 people have been killed by Russian shelling of urban areas over the past three days as the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 intensifies. Rockets hit the northeastern city of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv region on Friday night, killing three people, including a 70-year-old woman, and injuring three others, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said. read more “Three people died, why? Why? Because Putin went crazy?” said Raisa Shapoval, 83, a distraught resident sitting in the rubble of her home. In the south, more than 50 Russian Grad rockets hit the town of Nikopol on the Dnipro River, killing two people in the rubble, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. Moscow, which calls the invasion a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “de-Nazitize” its neighbor, says it is using high-precision weapons to degrade Ukraine’s military infrastructure and protect its own security. It has repeatedly denied targeting civilians. Kyiv and the West say the conflict is an unprovoked attempt to retake a country freed from Moscow’s rule with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered military units to step up operations to prevent Ukrainian strikes in eastern Ukraine and other Russian-held areas where he said Kyiv could hit civilian infrastructure or residents, according to a statement ministry. His remarks appeared to be a direct response to what Kyiv says are a series of successful raids on 30 Russian logistics and munitions hubs, using several newly-supplied Western multiple-launch missile systems. The strikes are wreaking havoc on Russian supply lines and have significantly reduced Russia’s offensive capability, Ukraine’s defense ministry spokesman said on Friday. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from Reuters offices. Written by Raju Gopalakrishnan. Edited by William Mallard Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
title: “Russia Prepares For Next Stage Of Attack Ukraine Says " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Linda Stiger”
Scott Olson | Getty Images Russia is preparing for the next stage of its offensive in Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said, after Moscow said its forces would step up military operations in “all operational areas”. Russian rockets and missiles have hit cities in raids that Kyiv says have killed dozens in recent days. “It’s not just air and sea missile attacks,” Vadym Skibitskyi, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, said on Saturday. “We can see shelling all over the contact line, all over the front line. There is active use of tactical aviation and attack helicopters. “There is indeed a definite activation of the enemy all along the front line. . . . It is clear that preparations are now being made for the next stage of the attack.” The Ukrainian military said Russia appeared to be regrouping units for an attack on Sloviansk, a symbolically important Ukrainian-held city in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine says at least 40 people have been killed by Russian shelling of urban areas over the past three days as the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 intensifies. Rockets hit the northeastern city of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv region on Friday night, killing three people, including a 70-year-old woman, and injuring three others, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said. “Three people died, why? Why? Because Putin went crazy?” said Raisa Shapoval, 83, a distraught resident sitting in the rubble of her home. In the south, more than 50 Russian Grad rockets hit the town of Nikopol on the Dnipro River, killing two people in the rubble, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. Moscow, which calls the invasion a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “de-Nazitize” its neighbor, says it is using high-precision weapons to degrade Ukraine’s military infrastructure and protect its own security. It has repeatedly denied targeting civilians. Kyiv and the West say the conflict is an unprovoked attempt to retake a country freed from Moscow’s rule with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered military units to step up operations to prevent Ukrainian strikes in eastern Ukraine and other Russian-held areas where he said Kyiv could hit civilian infrastructure or residents, according to a statement ministry. His remarks appeared to be a direct response to what Kyiv says are a series of successful raids on 30 Russian logistics and munitions hubs, using several newly-supplied Western multiple-launch missile systems. The strikes are wreaking havoc on Russian supply lines and have significantly reduced Russia’s offensive capability, Ukraine’s defense ministry spokesman said on Friday.
