Russia aims to take "full control" of southern Ukraine, general says

Russia's military on Friday said it wants to seize all of Donbas and southern Ukraine -- and reach far as south as Moldova -- as it outlined its objectives in "the second stage" of the attack on Ukraine. The announcement marks far wider war goals than what Moscow previously stated.

"Since the beginning of the second stage of the special operation, and it started just two days ago, one of the tasks of the Russian army has been to take full control of Donbas and southern Ukraine. That will ensure the opening of a land corridor to Crimea and influence critical elements of the Ukrainian economy," acting Central Military District Commander Rustam Minnekayev said at an annual meeting of the Union of Defense Plants of the Sverdlovsk Region on Friday.

"Establishing control over southern Ukraine would also give the Russian army access to Transdniestria, where facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population have also been observed," Minnekayev said. Transdniestria is the de-facto breakaway region of Moldova that is not internationally recognized but has pro-Russian leaders and about 1,500 Russian troops stationed there.