The Ukraine Security Council secretary is reporting that:
- Russian forces tried to break through defenses almost all along Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv fronts
- appears to have attempted to start active phase of new Eastern offensive this morning
- Thinks Ukraine forces in Donetsk and Luhansk can withstand this new Russian assault
- Threat to cities from long-range rockets is much more dangerous
Meanwhile Ukraine's Mariupol says over 40,000 people have been deported from city to area controlled by Russia backed separatists.
Russian offensives in eastern Ukraine today
The markets are not taking increased tensions well.
The major US indices are now all trading lower with the :
- NASDAQ index down -109.05 points or -0.82% 13242.07
- S&P index -15 points or -0.34% at 4377.76
- Dow industrial average minus the 2.44 points in -0.24% at 34368.79
- Russell 2000 is currently down -18.83 points of -0.94% at 1986.16
Meanwhile
- crude oil prices are marching higher with the May contract up 2.30%
- Natural gas is trading above eight dollars at $8.13 that's up $0.71 or 9.55%
- The 10 year yield reached day high today of 2.88% which is a new cycle high. The current yield is trading at 2.86%