“We anticipate that active fighting will begin in these areas in the near future,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, adding that the Ukrainian army was ready to retaliate. Western officials have predicted that the Kremlin could try to double or triple its military presence in the region before launching its offensive. Elsewhere, it emerged that the Russian journalist who reported the invasion live on television had been hired by a German newspaper. Read below the main developments from this afternoon and follow all the latest updates on our live blog here.
1. Russia “triples its forces before the attack on Donbas”
Russia is seeking to double or possibly triple the number of troops it has in the Donbas region as part of the next phase of the conflict in Ukraine, according to Western officials. An official said: “I would imagine that, according to external estimates, what you are looking at is a force that the Russians probably want to double or even triple the amount of force they exercise in the Donbas region. “But I would like to note that it will take some time for them to reach that number. “And even when they reach that number, there is a question about how effectively they can bring these forces into battle.”
2. The pro-Russian separatists claim control of the port of Mariupol
A pro-Russian rebel leader said on Monday that separatist forces in eastern Ukraine had taken control of the port city of the strategic city of Mariupol. It comes as Ukrainian Marines prepare for their “final battle” in the besieged city as Russian forces approach after 47 days of intense fighting. “As for the port of Mariupol, it is already under our control,” Dennis Pushilin, a separatist leader in the breakaway region of Donetsk, told television. The claims could not be independently verified.
3. More than 1,200 bodies were found in the Bhutan and Kiev regions
Ukraine says it has found 1,222 bodies in Bukha and other cities around the capital, Kyiv, from which the Russian army has retreated. French police and medical examiners are arriving in Ukraine to help investigate the discovery of dozens of corpses in civilian clothes scattered in Bukha and other cities around Kyiv following Russia’s withdrawal from the region. The French Interior and Justice Ministries said they had sent the team to “prevent impunity for acts constituting war crimes” following the killings that rocked the world.
4. Chechen leader warns Russia will “take Kyiv”
Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed that Russian forces will launch another attack in Kyiv after taking control of the Donbas region to the east. The Chechen warlord, a favorite of Vladimir Putin, said in a video posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday night that the attack would cover all Ukrainian cities.
