d w reporter joel doro is here to phyllis in joe. this week, ukraine's president declared that the battle for the don bass had begun. russia also acknowledged a new phase in its operations focused on the important industrial region to the east. now since 2014 russian back separatists have controlled parts of the don bass, namely the regions of donates and lou hands, while russia has also occupied crimea, will now russian forces occupy a territory connecting both those breakaway regions to crimea. it's in charge of the entire coast of the sea, of as all, except for that one pocket of ukrainian resistance in mario poll will in the latest of elements this week, russia has intensified its efforts to take more of the territory across the don bus . it launched a battery of thousands of air and artillery attacks along many points along the front line. now u. s. analysts say it appears that russia is trying to encircle ukrainian troops in this particular region here between it's occupied territories by one estimate. up to $40000.00 ukranian