Ukraine sees preparations nearing completion for a "massive breakthrough" attempt by Russian forces in the eastern Donbas region, the military governor of the Luhansk region said on Friday.
"We sense the final preparations for a massive breakthrough, the great battle that will be in our Luhansk and Donetsk regions. There are constant attempts to break through the line of defense in certain directions," Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, said in televised remarks.
Ukrainian officials have urged residents of some cities in Donbas to evacuate in anticipation of what they say may be a major offensive.
"Since the beginning of evacuation in the Luhansk region, approximately 30,000 people have been taken out, that is only our official calculations, without including those who left voluntarily, without those people who left independently," Haidai said.