Russian forces attacked settlements in eastern Ukraine from the ground and air, officials said on Thursday, in support of the Kremlin's apparently scaled-back ambition of only securing the bulk of Ukrainian land it has claimed in the war.
Fighting was underway along the entire line of demarcation in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said 11 civilians were killed and a further 17 wounded in Ukraine on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given conflicting statements on the goals of the war since his Feb. 24 invasion, but is now clear the aims include some expansion of Russia's borders, in contrast with comments made at the start of the "special military operation," when he said Moscow's plans did not include the occupation of Ukrainian land.
Russia no longer speaks of changing Ukraine's government
The Kremlin said on Thursday it was still set on securing at least the bulk of the parts of east and south Ukraine that it has claimed as its own, but appeared to give up on seizing other territory in the west and northeast that Ukraine has recaptured in a steady reversal of early Russian gains.
The Kremlin no longer speaks of trying to force a change of government in Kyiv.
Putin vowed Thursday to fight on regardless of Western reaction.
"It's enough for us to make a move and there is a lot of noise, chatter and outcry all across the universe," Putin said. "It will not obstruct us from fulfilling combat tasks."
He described a series of Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities and other key infrastructure as a legitimate response to a bombing attack on a key bridge linking Crimea with Russia's mainland, and other attacks the Kremlin said were carried out by Ukraine. Putin also cited Ukraine's move to halt water supplies to the areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia.
"There is a lot of noise now about our strikes on the energy infrastructure," Putin said at a meeting with soldiers whom he decorated with the country's top medals. "Yes, we are doing it. But who did start it? Who did strike the Crimean bridge? Who did blow up power lines linked to the Kursk nuclear power plant?"
Putin particularly praised the Russian air force's performance as "highly efficient."
Putin and Peter the Great
On Wednesday, Putin said Russia had already achieved a "significant result" with the acquisition of "new territories" — a reference to the annexation of four partly occupied regions in September that Kyiv and most members of the United Nations condemned as illegal.
Warning that the war could be lengthy, Putin said Russia had made the Sea of Azov its "internal sea," now bounded by Russia and Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine including Crimea.
He said that had been an aspiration of Peter the Great — the 17th- and 18th-century warrior tsar to whom he has compared himself in the past.
Zelenskyy says his troops will eventually drive Russia from all the captured territory, including the annexed Crimean peninsula that sits between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
On Thursday, Russian naval forces shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Black Sea, said the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, an important port and the largest city in Crimea.
Earlier this week, twin strikes on air bases deep inside Russian territory dealt Moscow a reputational blow and raised questions about why its defences failed, as attention turned to the use of drones in the war between neighbours.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield reports from either side.
More involvement from Belarus
Hundreds of kilometres away, across Ukraine's northern border, Russian soldiers were preparing for fighting in winter conditions by taking part in tactical training exercises in Moscow's close ally Belarus, the Russian defence ministry said.
A flurry of Russian diplomatic and military activity in Belarus in recent weeks has revived fears that Moscow is pressing its ally to get more involved in the Ukraine war.
President Alexander Lukashenko, who relied on Russian troops to put down a popular revolt two years ago, has allowed his country to serve as a staging ground for Russia's invasion of their common neighbour.
He has so far kept his own army from joining in, but recent weeks have seen increasing signs of involvement in Belarus from Moscow.
Visits with POWs
Meanwhile, The International Committee of the Red Cross announced Thursday that its representatives visited Ukrainian prisoners of war on the Russian side. International observers were previously not permitted access to see them.
"Last week, the ICRC conducted a two-day visit to Ukrainian prisoners of war, and another one is taking place this week. At the same time, visits to Russian prisoners of war took place," the organization said in a statement. The Red Cross checked the prisoners' conditions, gave them books, personal hygiene products, blankets and warm clothes, and contacted their relatives.
"We can check how prisoners of war are being treated and give their families the latest information. I expect these visits to initiate more regular access to all prisoners of war," said ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric, without commenting or providing details on the treatment of prisoners.