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Zelenskyy calls for mass evacuations as fighting rages in Ukraine's east

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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 158

Guardian

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New York Post

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Newsweek

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Wall Street Journal

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Daily Kos

Ukraine Invasion Day 158: ground assaults and a bombed POW camp

Ukraine update: Russia reportedly pulls forces from occupied towns to rush troops to Kherson

Joe Biden

Liz Truss

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Kamala Harris

Emmanuel Macron

Boris Johnson

Antony Blinken

William Burns

Lloyd Austin

Jake Sullivan

Victoria Nuland

Dmitry Peskov

Kyrylo Budanov

Sergei Ivanov

Michael Roth

Alexander Vindman

Jen Psaki

Alexander Fomin

Sergey Lavrov

Ivo Daalder

Fiona Hill

Jens Stoltenberg

Tod Wolters

Anders Åslund

Taras Kuzio

Andriy Zagorodnyuk

Sergei Ryabkov

Maria Zakharova

Robert Lansing Institute

The Institute for the Study of War

Harun Yilmaz

Max Bergmann

Ihor Romanenko

Metaculus

"Russia has never hatched, is not hatching and will never hatch any plans to attack anyone."

"These military exercises, drills, are purely defensive and are not a threat to any other country."

"We [Russians] learn from US newspapers that we will attack Ukraine."

"The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine."

"Right now, the people's biggest enemy is panic in our country [Ukraine]."

"There is a risk for a full-fledged invasion."

"We are talking about the real possibility of war in Europe."

"One way or another, [Putin] wants Ukraine neutralized."

Russia is looking for "an excuse to go in."

"[A]n invasion could be imminent, and it is highly likely."

"Russia may launch an attack on Ukraine on Saturday, February 19, 2022."

"As of this moment I'm convinced he's made the decision" and an assault could occur in the "coming days."

Will Russia Invade Ukraine?

Following days of increasing pressure on the Ukrainian frontlines, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) — a US military think tank that tracks battlefield progress in the war — reported that Russia's military manoeuvres since July 29 "are likely the manifestation of Russia's forecasted summer offensive."

Understandingwar

ISW said Tuesday that Russian forces conducted five platoon- to battalion-sized mechanized assaults since July 29 — concluding this was likely Russia's offensive as "Russian forces likely lack the wider operational capacity to mount a separate renewed offensive operation in Donetsk Oblast or elsewhere on the front this summer."

Over the past day of fighting, ISW reported that Russia had made gains near Chasiv Yar, Avdiivka and west of Donetsk city in the Donetsk region, as well gains to the west in the Zaporizhzhia region.

It comes as the daily briefing from Ukraine's Armed Forces continued to report a high number of combat clashes across the frontlines, with Russian efforts continuing to focus on the Pokrovsk and Toretsk fronts in Donetsk. Ukraine's military reported a total of 71 combat clashes there over the past day.

Ukrainska Pravda

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Air Force said Wednesday that it repelled the largest Russian drone attack of this year, shooting down all 89 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in addition to a single guided missile.

Coming as Ukraine's missile defenses were replenished by the US — alongside the delivery of other weapons that will soon include arming Ukraine with F-16 jets from third countries — military officials in Kyiv said it was the seventh major attack on the capital in July alone.

Independent

Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Russia Launches Summer Offensive, Analysts Say

Russia Launches Summer Offensive, Analysts Say

The Controversies

Peskov

Putin

Zakharova

Macron

Zelenskyy

Stoltenberg

Harris

Hill

Nuland

Truss

War

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Russia Launches Summer Offensive, Analysts Say

The Controversies

Peskov

Putin

Zakharova

Macron

Zelenskyy

Stoltenberg

Harris

Hill

Nuland

Truss

War

Biden

Articles on this story

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