Russia conducts missile strikes ahead of offensive in Ukraine’s east. Russian forces carried out missile strikes against…

Russia conducts missile strikes ahead of offensive in Ukraine’s east.

Russian forces carried out missile strikes against a wide array of targets in Ukraine overnight Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said, as its forces appeared to be making final preparations to launch a large-scale offensive in the country’s east.

Most of the strikes, conducted by high-precision missiles, hit areas in eastern Ukraine, the ministry said. Overall, it said, its air force, missile forces, artillery and air-defense systems had hit more than 300 targets, one of the broadest series of strikes reported in recent weeks.

The intensified attacks claimed by the ministry — which did not include the missile strike in the western city of Lviv on Monday morning that killed at least seven people — came as Russian forces were close to a complete capture of the port city of Mariupol, where they have surrounded the last remaining Ukrainian troops at a sprawling steel plant and have bombarded the facility for days. Read more

@nytimes