Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his military commanders are in a “positive mood” as a long-anticipated counteroffensive gets underway.
Official details on the counteroffensive are scant; Ukraine’s military has repeatedly said it wants to preserve the element of surprise. Analysts said Ukraine appears to be attacking on several fronts, including Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region and Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
“What were the aims announced at the beginning of the special military operation?” asked an influential member of the Russian parliament, Konstantin Zatulin, who is close to top intelligence officials, using the Kremlin’s term for the war. “You all remember — denazification, demilitarization, neutrality for Ukraine and the defense of the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk. On which of these points have we reached results today? Not one.”