Russia Hits Ukraine with Cruise Missiles as Donbass Area Comes into Putin’s Crosshairs

Video Above: Would a “No-Fly” Zone Create Massive World War III with Russia?

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

After encountering unanticipated failure with its stalled and heavily attacked convoy into Kyiv, Russian forces do appear to be moving East and North to a certain extent in what could be seen as a decided shift in emphasis or a “regrouping” of sorts before again escalating ground attack.

Russia Looks to Secure the Donbass Area?

Pentagon officials say the Russian “repositioning” of small portions of its forces surrounding Kyiv likely pertains to a deliberate shift to the East, meaning Putin may in fact be seeking to secure gains in Donbass area where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting Ukrainians for many years.

“It’s clear the Russians want to reprioritize their operations in the Donbass area, that could be one destination. But again, too soon to know. We don’t really have a good sense of it,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, told reporters March 31, according to a Pentagon transcript.

Do the Russians hope to secure Eastern Ukraine first, before moving more aggressively into the West? It may be tough to say for certain, to be sure, yet Russian forces are likely to have more familiarity with areas occupied by pro-Kremlin separatist groups in the East. However, Pentagon officials cautioned that although Russia may seem to have a historical presence and strong numerical force advantage in the Donbass region, these factors may not translate into battlefield success or measurable gains on the ground in the area.

“It’s been a conflict that — it’s been fought over now for eight years. The Ukrainians know the territory very, very well, they have a lot of forces still there, and they’re absolutely fighting very hard for that area, as they have over the last eight years. It’s been a hot war there for eight years,” a Senior DoD official told reporters March 31. “So just because they’re going to prioritize it and put more force there or more energy there doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy for them.”