News - Middle East: Ukrainian officials say they will do “everything” to defend Donbas to prevent the eastern area from being surrounded by Russian forces.  

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in February in order to “demilitarize” the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, which together form the Donbas. In 2014, the two regions declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Ukraine’s Western-backed government.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russians had "concentrated maximum artillery, maximum reserves in Donbas".

"There are missile strikes and aircraft attacks - everything," Zelensky said in his daily address to Ukrainians.

"We are protecting our land in the way that our current defense resources allow," he added. "We are doing everything to increase them."

Ukrainian officials also said that Russian troops’ advances could oblige regional forces to retreat from parts of the east. The withdrawal could bring President Vladimir Putin closer to his preliminary goal of capturing Luhansk and Donetsk regions in full.