Haidai’s comments came two days after he claimed that Russian troops were being sent to the war-torn country’s eastern region as part of an offensive planned by Moscow on February 15. “We are seeing more and more reserve troops being deployed in our direction,” he said, according to a BBC report. Nearly a year after the invasion of Moscow, an estimated 300,000 Russian reserve troops have been recruited in recent months in an effort to break Ukraine’s front line in the east.
Three cities on the target of Russia
The capture of the key town of Bakhmut could allow the Russian army to advance towards the larger cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. The governor claimed that the Russians’ two-month training period was coming to an end and that for a new offensive on Moscow, they would need about 10 days to move to the front. He suggested that they would target the three towns of Bilohorivka, Kremina and Swatov in the Luhansk region, the BBC reported.
Russia will attack again on February 24
Ukraine has been warning for months of a Russian invasion, which could begin as soon as February 24, the first anniversary of the invasion of Moscow. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky met with EU leaders in Brussels after his trip to London and Paris the day before. During this he asked for more fighter jets to be sent in an effort to boost Ukraine’s combat capabilities amid the ongoing invasion.