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Ukraine has liberated the villages of Makarivka and Blahodatne in the southeastern Donetsk region, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram, 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. Ukrainian forces continue their attacks around the city of Bakhmut and have advanced slightly in a northern suburb, Maliar added.
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 ongoing on at least three fronts: around the besieged city of Bakhmut that Russia had earlier claimed to capture; 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.
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