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Two Ukrainian towns have been identified by the UK’s Ministry of Defence as the next probable targets of Russia’s intense bombing campaign if its forces can break through in besieged Mariupol.
Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka are likely to be targeted with the levels of violence seen in other urban centres, which has become a brutal trademark of the Russian offensive, British military intelligence said.
In its daily update on the war, the ministry said that “widespread missile and artillery strikes and efforts to concentrate forces for an offensive” showed a reversion to traditional Russian military doctrine.
The ministry added that Ukraine's continued defence of Mariupol was currently tying down significant numbers of Russian troops and equipment.
It said: “President Putin's speech on Tuesday highlighted his continued interest in the Donbas where Russia is striking Ukrainian forces in preparation for a renewed offensive.
“Urban centres have faced repeated indiscriminate attacks from Russia throughout the conflict. The towns of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka are likely to be Russian targets for similar levels of violence.
“The combination of widespread missile and artillery strikes and efforts to concentrate forces for an offensive represents a reversion to traditional Russian military doctrine.
“However, this will require significant force levels. Ukraine's continued defence of Mariupol is currently tying down significant numbers of Russian troops and equipment.”
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Ukrainian Nicolai, 41, says goodbye to his daughter Elina, 4, and his wife Lolita, on a train bound for Poland fleeing from the war at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. AP Photo -
A damaged Russian artillery tank is seen, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Trostianets, Sumy region, Ukraine. Reuters -
Oksana Kolesnikova cries during the funeral of her son Anatoliy Kolesnikov, 30, a territorial defense soldier who was killed by Russian soldiers in Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
US actor and director Liev Schreiber prepares meals in the kitchen of the 'World Central Kitchen', for war refugees from Ukraine staying in Przemysl, Poland. EPA -
A Ukrainian boy musician plays his sax to entertain citizens in a square, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Dinipro, Ukraine. Reuters -
The turret of a destroyed tank near the village of Zalissya, north-east of Kyiv. AFP -
An unexploded shell in a field in Teterivka, near Kyiv. Reuters -
A building damaged during fighting in Mariupol, which is holding out against the Russian invasion. AP Photo -
A soldier from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic during fighting in Mariupol. AP Photo -
A tank destroyed in the village of Termakhivka, Kyiv region. Reuters -
The main station in Dnipro, central Ukraine, where a city official said the remains of more than 1,500 Russian soldiers were being kept in its morgues. AFP -
A torn Ukrainian flag hangs in front a damaged apartment building in Mariupol. Reuters -
A Ukrainian child seeking asylum in the US is driven on a bus to the border from Tijuana, Mexico. Reuters -
Brothers in arms of serviceman Taras Bobanych, who was killed during the fighting with Russia, carry his portrait and coffin at his funeral in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP -
From left to right; Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Latvian President Egils Levits and Estonian President Alar Karis pose for a picture before a meeting in Kyiv. Reuters -
Local residents shelter in the basement of a residential building amid shelling in Lysychansk, in the Luhansk region. AFP -
Local residents view a destroyed car next to a multi-storey building in Lysychansk. AFP -
Ukrainian artillery shells Russian troops' position on the front line near Lysychansk. AFP -
Natalya Verbova, 49, and her son attend the funeral of her husband Andriy Verbovyi, 55, who was killed by Russian soldiers while defending Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP -
The father and a friend of Anatoliy Kolesnikov, 30, who was killed by Russian soldiers in his car trying to leave Irpin, mourn his death outside the morgue in Bucha. AP -
Pedestrians walk past artwork by the LBWS street art collective on a street in Odesa. AFP -
Engineers inspect damage to the bridge that connects Kyiv with Irpin. AP -
The mark of a shell is seen on a street in Irpin. AP -
A boy shows the shell of a bullet in Bucha. AP -
Cemetery worker Artem, exhausted, looks at the sky while working on the grave of Andriy Verbovyi, who was killed by Russian soldiers while serving in Bucha territorial defense. AP -
Nadiya Trubchaninova, 70, with her son Oleg Trubchaninov, 46, inside the room of her son Vadym, 48, who was killed by Russian soldiers on March 30 in Bucha. AP -
A relative cries after the body of a civilian was exhumed from a shallow grave near his home in the village of Andriivka, in Kyiv region. AFP
Mariupol’s capture is critical for Russia because it would put a swath of territory in its control and would allow its forces in the south to link up with troops in the eastern Donbas region.
The city has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the war, with a heavy cost in civilian lives.
On Thursday Russia’s Defence Ministry said 134 more Ukrainian troops had surrendered in Mariupol, Reuters reported from Russia while operating under Russia’s media restrictions.
Russia’s navy has launched cruise missiles into Ukraine from the Black Sea, which are crucial in supporting land operations around Mariupol.
The flagship of the Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, was seriously damaged on Thursday, potentially reducing, but not eliminating, the naval threat to Ukraine.
The US is sending Ukraine an additional $800 million in US security, including helicopters, armoured personnel carriers and artillery systems, marking a deepening American military commitment towards Ukraine.
As the front line moves from Kyiv to the Donbas region, the US will also, for the first time, include 18 155mm Howitzer artillery systems in its package.
