UPDATED: Russia says first phase of Ukraine operation mostly complete, 1,351 soldiers have died fighting

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) – Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday that the first phase of its military operation in Ukraine was mostly complete and that it would focus on completely “liberating” eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region.

The announcement appeared to indicate that Russia may be switching to more limited goals after running into fierce Ukrainian resistance in the first month of the war

Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying that Russian-backed separatists now controlled 93% of Ukraine’s Luhansk region and 54% of the Donetsk region – the two areas that jointly make up the Donbass.

The ministry said it did not rule out storming Ukrainian cities that had been blockaded and that Russia would react immediately to any attempt to close the airspace over Ukraine – something Kyiv has asked NATO to do, but NATO has resisted.

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a “special operation” to weaken its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance to the invasion and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.

The defence ministry said on Friday that the operation would continue until Russian forces had completed the tasks that had been set, without elaborating.

Russia’s military had considered two options for its operation in Ukraine, one confined to the Donbass and the other on the whole territory of Ukraine, the defence ministry continued.

Despite widespread accounts of problems faced by Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine, Russian soldiers in the country are  reportedly being told by superiors that the war must end by 9 May.

The Ukrainian army says there is “constant propaganda work being carried out among the personnel of the Russian Federation’s armed forces” which refers to the date – which is carries significance as the annually celebrated “Victory Day” on which Russia’s successful Second World War campaign is commemorated with a parade in Moscow.

Russia says 1,351 soldiers have died fighting in Ukraine

Russia’s defence ministry said 1,351 Russian soldiers have died fighting in Ukraine since the start of what Moscow calls a “special operation”, and 3,825 have been wounded, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

The ministry said Russia would continue with its operation until it achieved the targets set by President Vladimir Putin, RIA reported

Photo – A still image taken from a handout video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry press service .