Ukraine braces for Donbas battle as Moscow’s war effort faces new questions

Ukraine braced itself Monday for a massive Russian assault on the country’s eastern Donbas region, which is set to become ground zero in a bloody conflict that shows no sign of stopping despite growing questions about whether Moscow can secure anything resembling the original victory it sought.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again appealed for outside support as Russian forces were regrouping and repositioning ahead of the Donbas campaign, which Pentagon officials said is likely to begin soon. U.S. defense officials said a large Russian convoy of troops, vehicles and equipment was headed toward the region, and Ukrainian officials urged civilians to flee the area or risk being caught in the crossfire.

Russia’s decision to pull its troops from northern Ukraine and abandon its effort to capture the capital of Kyiv has raised fears across Ukraine and Western nations that Moscow will double down on its strategy of targeting civilians and nonmilitary targets in the more vulnerable east and south. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer gave voice to those fears Monday after what he described as a “very direct, open and tough” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Nehammer, the first leader of a European Union nation to visit Mr. Putin since the war began Feb. 24, said he confronted the Russian leader about suspected war crimes in the city of Bucha and elsewhere across Ukraine. He effectively warned the Kremlin against such tactics in the coming Donbas battle. Mr. Putin has resolutely denied Russian guilt in the face of widespread condemnation.