Russia Hits Towns As Commander Says Aim Is To Capture S Ukraine

'Imperialism It Is,' Says Kyiv; Admits 42 Towns, Villages In Russian Control

As Russia refocused its efforts on defeating entrenched and increasingly well-armed Ukrainian forces in the east, a senior Russian military commander suggested on Friday that Moscow's ambitions are far broader than set out in recent weeks. Rustam Minnekayev, deputy commander of Russia's central military district, was quoted by Russian state news agencies as saying Moscow aimed to seize the entire eastern Donbas region, link up with the Crimea peninsula, and capture Ukraine's entire south as far as a breakaway, Russian-occupied region of Moldova. That would mean pushing hundreds of miles beyond current lines, past the major Ukrainian cities of Mykolaiv and Odesa. It was unclear if the statement reflected official policy.