Ukraine has liberated five villages in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, said Valeriy Shershen, a spokesman for Ukrainian military units, marking what may be the country’s first gains in its long-anticipated counteroffensive. The Washington Post could not confirm whether Russian troops remain in either area.
Russia has arrested an American expatriate on drug charges, according to the U.S. State Department.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Analysis from our correspondents
Ukraine’s counteroffensive may dictate the fate of the war: The long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive appears to be underway, writes Ishaan Tharoor, with operations underway on at least three fronts: around the besieged city of Bakhmut that Russia claims to have captured; in the country’s southeastern Donetsk region; and into parts of the Zaporizhzhia region, which is under Russian control.
Western weapons and firepower have bolstered Ukraine’s capabilities, but experts predict the fighting is likely to drag on. “The offensive will play out over weeks, and likely months,” tweeted Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses. He added that this is not something that can be judged from a few days of fighting.
Natalia Abbakumova, Samuel Granados, Beatriz Rios and David Stern contributed to this report.
