Western officials say Moscow is reinforcing troops in the Donbas in an attempt to encircle Ukraine’s best-trained and best-equipped forces, which are concentrated in the east.

If Russia succeeds in encircling and destroying the Ukrainian forces in the country’s industrial heartland, called Donbas, it could try to dictate its terms to Kyiv and potentially attempt to split the country in two.

The seeming shift eastward in Moscow’s stated military objectives could point to a possible exit strategy for Russia, which has run into fiercer resistance and suffered heavier losses than anticipated.