Russia targets full control in the east

 

With recent setbacks elsewhere in the country, Russian officials have said that the focus of its forces is now the "complete liberation" of the Donbas.

The Donbas broadly refers to Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists held significant territory before Russia's invasion.

Analysts says Russian forces in the region are trying to encircle Ukrainian troops there by advancing from Kharkiv to the north and Mariupol from the south.

But Ukrainian forces have repelled several recent assaults, particularly around the town of Rubizhne, and Russian forces have failed to make any significant gains recently, according to the ISW.