Ukraine war: Russia aiming for full control of south, commander says

Russia is aiming to take full control of southern Ukraine as well as the eastern Donbas region, a senior Russian commander says.

Maj Gen Rustam Minnekayev was quoted in state media as saying that goal would allow Moscow to form a land bridge to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

He also said it would give Moscow access to the Russian-backed separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova.

Transnistria is a small region that borders Ukraine's west.

It is unclear if Gen Minnekayev's comments were officially sanctioned by the Kremlin, but they were widely cited in Russian state media including the Interfax and Tass news agencies. read more