Russian forces are intensifying their attacks across Ukraine ahead of the first

anniversary of the conflict.

The Ukrainian defense ministry said on Saturday that fierce fighting is

continuing in eastern regions.

The ministry also said the Russian military launched missile attacks on
civilian infrastructure in the western region of Khmelnytskyi, which has a
nuclear power plant.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said on Saturday that
"Russian forces conducted another missile strike attack targeting Ukrainian
infrastructure."

The institute also said influential Russian media are calling for strikes that
would systematically target electrical infrastructure supporting Ukrainian
nuclear power plants to force their emergency shutdowns.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to give his state of the nation
address on Tuesday, three days before the anniversary of the invasion.

Attention is focused on what he will say about the conflict.

The British defense ministry said on Saturday that a Russian parliamentary

group had presented a report to Putin, and "the report is likely to cover
issues such as social support to those mobilised and their families."

The ministry also said "it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to
insulate the population from the war in Ukraine." It added that a poll
conducted in Russia in December showed that 52 percent had either a friend
or relative "who had served in the so-called Speci