Things just ramped up in southeastern Ukraine. That's where the nation's forces are now launching a major push to repel Russian invaders as part of its counteroffensive, which began in early June. Pentagon officials tell the New York Times that the action is centering on the Zaporizhzhia region, where thousands of Ukrainian troops held in reserve are now flooding in, many with Western gear and training. The ultimate goal: to head in the direction of the cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk, near the Sea of Azov, and cut off the land bridge between Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia also controls.
At the very least, Ukrainian forces want to get close enough so that Ukrainian artillery is within striking distance of Crimea. It's an effort that Ukrainian officials have told DC could take one to three weeks, though Ukrainian troops along the southern front conceded to the Times on Wednesday that their movement has been slow going, hampered by minefields and pushback from Russian forces. Still, Ukrainian forces "appear to have broken through certain pre-prepared Russian defensive positions," the US nonprofit Institute for the Study of War says, citing Russia's Defense Ministry and Russian military bloggers, per the AP.
Russian forces, for their part, are concentrating "on preventing the further advance of Ukrainian troops," including via "blistering artillery and aerial bombardments," reports the Times. "This is the big test," a senior Pentagon official says of the latest counteroffensive phase, which the AP notes likely took months to prepare for. US officials are staying relatively mum about the latest developments, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledging an "intense battle" but without much more detail.
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"We believe that tools, the equipment, the training, the advice that many of us have shared with Ukrainians over many months puts them in good position to be successful on the ground in recovering more of the territory that Russia has taken from Ukraine," he said. No matter which way the tides turn, it will be a hard-fought battle. "This offensive will be slow, it'll be difficult, and it'll come at a high cost," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley said last week, per Politico. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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