Ukraine says it sees signs Russia is starting new eastern offensive

Ukraine's armed forces command has observed signs that Russia is starting an anticipated new offensive in the east of the country, increasing the intensity of attacks in parts of the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, it said on Monday.

In a post on Facebook, the armed forces command also said that Russia's main military force was concentrating on taking control of the entirety of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

It said that battles were ongoing in the port city of Mariupol, where it said Russia was attempting to storm the city's seaport.