East Ukraine under heavy fire in advance of Russian holiday
IRPIN, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine is gathering momentum — and some observers say it’s likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to score a major battlefield success before Victory Day, an important Russian holiday on May 9.
Ukrainian authorities reported intense Russian fire in the Donbas, an eastern region the Kremlin wants to capture.
Ukrainian fighters holed up in a steel plant in the ruined southern port city of Mariupol say concentrated bombing overnight killed and wounded more people.
Authorities warned that a lack of safe drinking water inside the city could lead to outbreaks of deadly diseases.
The fresh attacks came as the United Nations chief surveyed destruction in small towns outside Kyiv.
