The latest on the Russia–Ukraine crisis, April 19. Click here for updates from April 18.
Russia Pours in More Troops and Presses Attack in the East
Russia assaulted cities and towns along a boomerang-shaped front hundred of miles long and poured more troops into Ukraine on Tuesday in a potentially pivotal battle for control of the country’s eastern industrial heartland of coal mines and factories.If successful, the Russian offensive in what is known as the Donbas would essentially slice Ukraine in two. In Mariupol, the now-devastated port city in the Donbas, Ukrainian troops said the Russian military was dropping heavy bombs to flatten what was left of a sprawling steel plant and hit a hospital where hundreds were staying.
