Phase II of Russia’s special military operation has begun. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told a meeting of the Defense Ministry Board today that the Russian army is systematically implementing the plan for the liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. “In the course of the special military operation the Russian army is coping with its tasks the supreme commander-in-chief identified. The plan for the liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics is being implemented systematically and measures are being taken to restore life to normal,” he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov similarly told India Today in a television interview that Russia began another stage of its special military operation in Ukraine to liberate the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. “Another stage of this operation [in eastern Ukraine] is beginning and I am sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation,” Lavrov said.
The Ukrainian General Staff issued a statement yesterday, saying that the Russian offensive was already underway. “According to operative information, as of 18:00 on April 18, the enemy continues to launch missile and bomb strikes on industrial and civilian infrastructure,” the statement said, reported Ukrinform. “It is noted that the main efforts of the enemy are focused on establishing full control over the territory of Donetsk and Lugansk regions and holding the previously captured territory.”
The Associated Press reported this morning that Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces are focusing their efforts on taking full control of the Donbas region. “The occupiers made an attempt to break through our defenses along nearly the entire frontline,” it said this morning. The stepped-up assaults began Monday along a front of more than 300 miles (480 kilometers), focused on the Donbas regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, with the Russian forces trying to advance in several sections, including from the neighboring Kharkiv region, AP said.
