Russia-Ukraine crisis: Moscow shifts strategy; to focus on Donbas 'liberation'
Russia on Friday announced a surprising shift in its strategy, hinting it may scale down its invasion of Ukraine to focus on the rebel-dominated Donbas region. Russia's senior general Sergei Rudskoi said the first stage of Ukraine's invasion has "generally been accomplished" with the combat potential of Ukrainian forces being reduced. Moscow will now focus on Donbas's "liberation" as the "main goal," Rudskoi said.
Why does this story matter?
Notably, Donbas is an eastern Ukrainian region that is already partly controlled by Russian proxies. The declaration of a new goal was reportedly prompted due to Moscow's failure to break Ukraine's resistance even after a month of fighting. Meanwhile, Western officials said seven Russian generals died in Ukraine so far. Also, one Russian colonel was "deliberately" killed by his own demoralized men, they said.
Biden visits Rzeszow; praises Ukraine's resistance
During a visit to Rzeszow in Poland on Friday, US President Joe Biden praised Ukraine's resistance against Russia. Notably, Rzeszow is just 80km from Ukraine. Biden also compared the Russia-Ukraine crisis to a bigger version of China crushing the protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. "Are democracies going to prevail...or are autocracies going to prevail? And that's really what is at stake," Biden said.
300 died in deadliest attack Ukraine has seen so far
Meanwhile, Kyiv confirmed about 300 people were left dead in an attack on an iconic theater in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol by Russia on March 16. Over 1,300 people had taken refuge in the theater as the city saw relentless shelling in the last few weeks. The strike has been one of the deadliest Ukraine has seen in a month of the war.
10 killed, 35 injured in rocket strikes in Kharkiv
On the other hand, on Tuesday, at least 10 people were killed and 35 wounded in rocket strikes by Russian forces on Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv. "The rubble is being cleared...there will be even more victims and wounded," Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said.
Ukrainian refugees in Poland urge for help
A month into the war—which began on February 24—over 3.7 million Ukrainian people have been displaced from their homes. Of them, Poland has reportedly taken in over two million refugees. Earlier on Thursday, as world leaders met in Brussels for the unprecedented NATO, G7, and European Union summits, Ukrainian refugees in Poland urged Western powers to do more to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks.
