Ukrainian army says it’s sending more troops into battle

Fierce fighting continues along the front lines. Oleh Synehubov, governor of the northeastern region of Kharkiv said that our defenders are firmly holding their positions and inflicting losses to the enemy.

Oleskandr Musiyenko, head of the Military and Strategic Research Centre of Ukraine, said Russia was sending more reinforcements to block Ukrainian advances.

They are mostly sending infantry and artillery forces into battle, made up of mostly conscripts. Musiyenko told Ukrainian television that they do not have the level of artillery and tank support they had on February 24.

They are relying on the numerical superiority of their troops. Millions of civilians have been killed by Russia's invasion, overrun millions, and reduced cities to rubble.

Over the past two months, the front lines have remained frozen, with Russia trying to gain ground in the east after occupying much of what is known as the Donbas region and protecting a corridor of land it has occupied in southern Ukraine.

Britain said in a regular intelligence update on Friday that Russian forces had probably carried out probing attacks near Orikhiv in the southeast and Vuhledar in the east, but were unlikely to have substantive advances. Both sides are expected to launch a spring offensive.

Where will the Russian strike take place? We have no idea for now. Mykola Sunhurovskiy, director of military programmes at Ukraine's Razumkov Centre think tank, told the news agency that diversionary strikes are possible in all sectors and in one or two mass strikes aimed at punching a corridor through Ukraine.

In the past, Russia has reacted to Ukrainian successes with heavy air strikes that left millions without light, heat or water.

It appeared to follow that pattern on Thursday. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia's attacks targeted energy plants.