Russian troops mass for new offensive in east Ukraine- Zelenskiy

Reuters:

Russian troops mass for new offensive in east Ukraine- Zelenskiy





Residents carry their belongings near buildings destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko


LVIV, Ukraine, April 11 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday thousands of Russian troops were massing for a new offensive in the east, and Russia said it would not halt its military operation in Ukraine for any further peace talks.

British intelligence said Ukrainian forces had already repulsed several Russian assaults in eastern regions.

Russian forces were also pushing to establish control over the southern port city of Mariupol, the lynchpin between Russian-held areas to the west and east and already devastated by weeks of siege and bombardment.


"There are tens of thousands of dead, but even despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive," Zelenskiy told South Korea's parliament by videolink. Reuters could not verify the accuracy of his estimate.

Zelenskiy also appealed to Seoul to provide his country with military aid to bolster its fight against the Russian onslaught.

The invasion - which Russia calls a "special military operation" - has left a trail of death of destruction that has drawn condemnation from Western countries and triggered concern about Putin's broader ambitions.


About a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million population have been forced from their homes, cities turned into rubble, and thousands of people have been killed or injured - many of them civilians.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would not halt its operation for any new round of peace talks, accusing Kyiv of failing to reciprocate in previous sessions.

Lavrov told state television he saw no reason not to continue with talks. But although Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a suspension of military action during a first round in February, Moscow's position had changed, he said.


"A decision was made that during the next rounds of talks, there would be no pause (in military action) so long as a final agreement is not reached," Lavrov said.

Austrian leader Karl Nehammer was due to meet Putin in Moscow on Monday and was expected to call for an end to the conflict. It would be Putin's first face-to-face meeting with a European Union leader since Russia's invasion started on Feb. 24. read more

"It must stop!" Nehammer wrote on Twitter.


For now at least, Russian forces have abandoned their attempt to capture the capital Kyiv but they are redoubling their efforts in the east.

Britain's defence ministry said Russian shelling continued in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. But Ukrainian forces had beaten back several assaults and destroyed Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery equipment, it said in its regular intelligence bulletin.

"WE WILL ANSWER"

Zelenskiy kept up his campaign to generate international support and rally his countrymen.

Addressing South Korea's parliament, he said Russia was concentrating tens of thousands of soldiers for the next offensive. He asked Seoul for any military aid it could provide.

Since Russia invaded, Zelenskiy has appealed to Western powers to provide more defence help, and to punish Moscow with tougher sanctions, including embargoes on its energy exports.

Zelenskiy also said Mariupol had been destroyed. Reuters journalists on Sunday saw several Russian tanks heading down a highway in the direction of the city.

Russia's defence ministry said Russian sea-launched missiles had on Sunday destroyed S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems which had been supplied to Ukraine by a European country. The systems were concealed in a hangar on the outskirts of Dnipro in central Ukraine, it said. Reuters could not confirm this.