<p>Russia's Defense Ministry says its operation thwarted a large-scale plot to attack separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine.</p>.<p>Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Wednesday cited from what he claimed was an intercepted Ukrainian National Guard document laying out plans for a weeks-long operation targeting the Donbas region.</p>.<p>Konashenkov said in a televised statement: “The special military operation of the Russian armed forces, carried out since February 24, preempted and thwarted a large-scale offensive by strike groups of Ukrainian troops on the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, which are not controlled by Kyiv, in March of this year.”</p>.<p>He did not address Russia's shelling, airstrikes and attacks on Ukrainian civilians or cities, Russian military casualties or any other aspect of its bogged-down campaign.</p>.<p>Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation,” and official statements about the war have focused almost exclusively on fighting and evacuations in the separatist-held regions, where Russian-backed forces have been fighting Ukraine's military since 2014.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>
<p>Russia's Defense Ministry says its operation thwarted a large-scale plot to attack separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine.</p>.<p>Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Wednesday cited from what he claimed was an intercepted Ukrainian National Guard document laying out plans for a weeks-long operation targeting the Donbas region.</p>.<p>Konashenkov said in a televised statement: “The special military operation of the Russian armed forces, carried out since February 24, preempted and thwarted a large-scale offensive by strike groups of Ukrainian troops on the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, which are not controlled by Kyiv, in March of this year.”</p>.<p>He did not address Russia's shelling, airstrikes and attacks on Ukrainian civilians or cities, Russian military casualties or any other aspect of its bogged-down campaign.</p>.<p>Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation,” and official statements about the war have focused almost exclusively on fighting and evacuations in the separatist-held regions, where Russian-backed forces have been fighting Ukraine's military since 2014.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>