Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia has launched an assault to seize the eastern Donbas region. Ukraine's top security official, Oleksiy Danilov, said that Russia tried to break through Ukrainian front lines in the region. The offensive has been long-expected after Russia failed to seize Kyiv. Russia initially appeared to want to capture major Ukrainian cities and topple the government. They announced plans to redirect the focus of the invasion towards the "liberation" of the Russian speaking Donbas region.

Source: The Star April 19, 2022 09:06 UTC