On the night of 18 April 2022, Russian forces launched an intensive bombardment campaign against positions in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts.[54] Russian shelling overnight in Donetsk killed two civilians and wounded nine, according to online news sources.[55] Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced that the "battle for Donbas" had begun.[56] Russian artillery pounded cities in the Donbas, aiming at destroying critical infrastructure.[57]