Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Kyiv believes Russia will launch a new offensive on Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of the invasion.
Speaking to a French news network Wednesday, Reznikov said Ukraine's armed forces are expecting new, large-scale military action by Russia in the coming weeks.
"We think that, given that they [the Russians] live in symbolism, they will try to try something around February 24," Reznikov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hinted Thursday that his country has plans to overshadow pro-Ukrainian events around the world to mark the first anniversary of the war, saying Russian diplomats were working on something to ensure Western-led events were "not the only ones to gain the world's attention," without providing further details.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, search and rescue teams worked through the night to find any survivors of a deadly rocket attack last night on residential buildings in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. More explosions were heard in the city on Thursday.