ISTANBUL 

Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that Russia’s new spring offensive in the country's northeast has “already begun.” 

“I can say that the president (Zelenskyy) is absolutely right and this offensive has actually already begun,” Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the Ukrainian online newspaper LB.

“Because for several days, almost a week, we have been observing an almost doubling of the number of enemy offensive actions in all major directions."

Syrskyi said Russia continues its military actions to completely take control of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

He said Moscow’s efforts aim to create a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions.

"Despite all the negotiations (for a settlement in Ukraine), we are only observing an increase in the intensity of offensive actions," he added.

In late March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a Paris summit that Russia is preparing for a new offensive in the Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The commander-in-chief’s remarks come amid Moscow's claims over the past weeks regarding the recapture of multiple settlements in its border region of Kursk, where Kyiv launched an incursion last August.

Moscow has also claimed capturing settlements in Sumy, but independent verification is difficult due to the ongoing war.