Will tweet more later about the long-term implications if Russia is going for an Eastern Strategy. Its extremely complicated and holds out the possibility of a disastrous long-war for Russia. In the short term, though, its still no sure thing.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1508058060216049665?s=20&t=tF8URhvtVQzi6hhF1e5osw
Because of the strategically nonsensical way the Russians went into the campaign, shifting troops from the edges to the east will be no easy task. There are no simple road communications they can use. 
The Ukrainians holding Sumy (they seem to be expanding their control there) means that Russia would have to bring anything it needed for the east that is presently in front of Kyiv back into Russia (not easy with heavy equipment).
It would then have to put the heavy vehicles back onto flat bed trains to move them around to the east. Or it will have to run them very long distances on roads, wearing them out.
Its just as bad for them in the South. If the Ukrainians continue to hold Mariupol and contest the countryside around it, its basically impossible for the Russians to deploy forces from the south west to the east, unless they want to go all the way through Crimea
So an eastern strategy might be happening, but its no short term fix. Getting more forces there is complex and will take time. Also means more wastage for the Russian troops already there and fighting.
Russian strategy in this war has been epically bad.
Ukraine is and presumably will make it harder and harder for the Russians to get troops to the Donbas. They seem to be lengthening their areas of control out of Kharkiv as well as Sumy. Believe me, the Russians dont want to fight their way there.
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1508081365400576005?s=20&t=rpwjYnGyq4gYxLBVaVrPyg
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