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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Luke Harding in Kyiv

Russia begins major offensive in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk governor claims

A Ukrainian tank fires on Russian positions near Kreminna
A Ukrainian tank fires on Russian positions near Kreminna, in the Luhansk region. Photograph: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images

Russia has launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine and is trying to break through defences near the town of Kreminna, the governor for the Luhansk region said on Thursday.

Serhiy Haidai told Ukrainian TV that Russian troops had gone on the attack and were trying to advance westwards across a winter landscape of snow and forests. There had been “maximum escalation” and a big increase in shooting and shelling, he said.

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