After Kyiv failure, Donbas emerging as main scene of Russia's battle: Report

Ukraine war: In an article on the US defence department website, an official warned that "the fight for eastern Ukraine will be a knife fight as both sides are familiar with the terrain, population centers and access routes."

After Russian president Vladimir Putin's failed attempt to take over Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, the rebel-held region of Donbas in the eastern part of the war-hit country seems to have emerged as "the main scene of battle," according to an article published by the US department of defence, citing inputs from an official. Ukraine has been resisting the onslaught - launched on February 24 - for nearly six weeks now and the Russian troops were said to be retreating last week. But as they retreated, Kyiv accused the Kremlin of mass killings in Bucha town near the capital city as images of bodies in streets emerged.

Ukraine war: A rocket attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed dozens as civilians raced to flee the Donbas region.  (AFP)

In an article on the US defence department website, an official warned that "the fight for eastern Ukraine will be a knife fight as both sides are familiar with the terrain, population centers and access routes." After the failure of the Kyiv campaign, the Russians are moving units to the east and beginning to feed them into the fight for the Donbas, the article reads. "This will be a knife fight. This could be very bloody and very ugly," the official said.

"The Russians and the Ukrainians have been focused on the Donbas for eight years, and [it's been] for eight years that the Ukrainians have been able to stymie Russia's larger objectives in the Donbas. But the fighting has been bloody, it's been stiff. And it's been pretty consistent for years," the senior defence official said.

The Russian units that were attacking Kyiv have withdrawn and are refitting in Belarus and western Russia, according to the article. "The units are making their way to Russian towns of Belgorod and Valuyki, which are near the border with Ukraine and the northern part of the Donbas region," it said.

The Ukraine war enters the 45th day on Saturday. In the last six weeks, Moscow has been accused of horrific war crimes, including targeting residential areas with missiles, rape and leaving behind mines.

Several rounds of ceasefire talks have been held between the two countries.

In a rare move, the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the human rights council as allegations continue to pile.