Ukraine Says Russia Increasing Pace Of Attack In "Almost All Directions"

Ukraine's military command posted a public social media message warning the public that Russia is "increasing the pace of the offensive operation" which is coming "in almost all directions". 

The Ukraine armed forces' statement said of the stepped up attacks that "in almost all directions, the Russian occupiers are exerting intense fire," with the most concentrated military activity "observed in [the] Slobozhansky and Donetsk directions" of Ukraine’s north and east. Starting earlier in the month Russia's defense ministry made it clear it's seeking full control primarily of Ukraine's east and south.

"Russian occupiers continue to suffer losses on land," the statement went on to say. "In the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts only, six enemy attacks have been repulsed in the past 24 hours, five tanks, one artillery system, twenty-two armored vehicles, one car and one anti-aircraft gun have been destroyed." 

The warning to the public and to inform Kiev's Western backers come the day after Russia's President Putin threatened "lighting"-fast retaliatory strikes on "decision-making centers" if foreign countries meddle in the conflict. He said during an address before the Council of Legislators in St. Petersburg that the armed forces remain undeterred as "all the objectives will definitely be carried out" in the Ukraine operation, before warning:

"If someone intends to interfere in what is going on from the outside they must know that constitutes an unacceptable strategic threat to Russia.

"They must know that our response to counter-strikes will be lightning-fast."

Ukrainian officials have also said Russia has begun imposing parallel local governments, for example in the now fallen city of Kherson the Kremlin has appointed its own mayor and a pro-Russian administration over the region, which declared that Kherson's return to Ukrainian control is now "impossible".