Ukraine launched its long-anticipated counteroffensive on Thursday, meant to contest Russia’s established front line after months of attritional stalemate across much of the battlefield.
Ahead of the renewed push, even as it took in massive shipments of increasingly sophisticated weapons from Western backers, Kyiv sought to manage expectations, downplaying the possibility of sweeping gains. Nonetheless, the counterattack begins a new phase of the war.
Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022, with a rapid attack on Kyiv and in the east. By that spring, Russian troops had retreated from the capital and refocused their efforts in the south and east. An initial Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall regained territory around Kherson and Kupiansk. Since then, the sides have fought a grinding war for incremental gains around the decimated city of Bakhmut and elsewhere. Neither side has made any major territorial progress.
Damage to a major dam in southern Ukraine on Tuesday caused massive flooding and evacuations, which decreased the likelihood that any offensive would target that region.
As the counteroffensive takes shape, here is what’s at stake.
