Russia focuses on eastern Ukraine for possible new offensive

Debris hangs from a residential building heavily damaged in a Russian bombing in Bakhmut (AP)

Russia is mustering its military might in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, local officials said, in what Kyiv suspects is preparation for an offensive in the eastern area as the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion approaches.

The Kremlin’s forces are expelling local residents from their homes near the Russian-held parts of the front line so that they cannot provide information about Russian troop deployments to Ukrainian artillery, Luhansk governor Serhii Haidai said.