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