Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that the battle for the country’s east is underway after Russia stepped up artillery and rocket attacks along the almost 500km front in what’s been called the ‘Battle for Donbas’, as the map shows. “No matter how many soldiers get thrown there, we will fight, we will defend ourselves. We will do that every day,” he said in a video address yesterday. But some Ukrainian officials and analysts say the Russian attack could be a prelude to a much larger assault on the region – a sentiment shared by American officials. The Pentagon estimated that Russia has already sent up to 11,000 more soldiers into the Donbas region, and tens of thousands more are in reserve in northern Ukraine. Overnight, President Biden called America’s allies looking for more money and weapons for Ukraine and considering imposing more sanctions against Russia.