Russia pummels exhausted Ukrainian forces ahead of springtime advance

A Su-25 plane is seen firing rockets over Ukraine (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russian troops are ramping up the pressure on exhausted Ukrainian forces ahead of a bid to seize more land this spring and summer as muddy fields dry out, allowing tanks, armoured vehicles and other heavy equipment to roll into key positions.

With the war in Ukraine now in its third year and a vital American aid package for Kyiv slowed down in US congress, Russia has increasingly used satellite-guided gliding bombs – which allow planes to drop them from a safe distance – to pummel Ukrainian forces beset by a shortage of troops and ammunition.