Russian military preparing assault on unoccupied settlements in eastern Ukraine - Zaluzhny

The Russian leadership has mobilized militants in the occupied territories in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, preparing an assault on settlements in the territory controlled by Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny wrote this on Facebook.

"The Russian military leadership has announced mobilization in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and is forming units consisting of 1 and 2 army corps to invade settlements in the territory controlled by Ukraine. Most of these people have Russian passports. Now some of our compatriots are being transferred across the territory of Rostov region, Krasnodar Territory and temporarily occupied Crimea to conduct a naval offensive operation to capture Odesa. The rest was taken to Belgorod to storm Kyiv in the first echelon as ‘cannon fodder," Zaluzhny wrote.

He noted that this was a war crime and a flagrant violation of the Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure.

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