Russia will storm besieged Ukrainian cities

The Russian armed forces did not plan to storm the besieged Ukrainian cities, but such a possibility is not ruled out, the Ministry of Defense said, TASS reports.

The ministry noted that the presence of Russian troops in the area of ​​the blockaded cities fetters the Ukrainian forces and does not allow to strengthen the grouping in the Donbass. 

“Initially, we did not plan to storm them to prevent destruction and minimize casualties among both the military and civilians. However, we do not exclude such a possibility,” the Ministry of Defense said.

All forces of the Russian army will be concentrated on the liberation of Donbass, officials added. 

Earlier, Sergei Rudskoy, the head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said that the Russian authorities initially considered two possible options for the special operation in Ukraine. According to the first scenario, the operation was to be limited only to the territory of Donbass.

“In this case, the Ukrainian authorities would constantly support the groups involved in the so-called operation of the combined forces,” Rudskoy said.