“From what all the international sites, both Ukrainian and Russian, report, a large offensive by Russian units in the Donbass area began last night with an intense bombardment of long-range artillery and intense launch of missiles to hit all Ukrainian lines. It is a front of about 450 km, it would start from Kharkiv and reach Kherson on the Black Sea “. This was stated to Adnkronos by the general of the Alpine troops Giorgio Battisti, formerly the first commander of the Italian contingent of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, on the Russian offensive in the Donbass. “The main objective would seem to be to break through the Ukrainian lines in the Donbass to occupy all the part still in the hands of Ukraine – continues the general -. This is a great effort and would seem to confirm what many are reporting: Putin would like to celebrate the anniversary of the victory over Germany on 9 May with those concrete results that have not been there so far “. Also because, observes General Battisti, “at this moment Putin would have nothing to bring to the table to negotiate a possible truce. This could be the final phase of a local offensive, that is to take control of the entire Donbass, not yet everything in hand to the Russian thread “.