Ukraine launches counteroffensive to retake Russian-held south

Ukraine announced a military offensive Monday in areas across its south, signaling the launch of a push to retake Russian-held territory including Kherson.

Ukraine announced a military offensive Monday in areas across its south, signaling the launch of a long-awaited push to retake Russian-held territory.

“Today, we started offensive actions in different directions,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern military command, told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne.

The apparent start of the major counteroffensive comes after weeks of buildup and nearly six months since Russian forces seized swaths of territory in southern Ukraine in the early days of the war. 

Kyiv has long vowed to retake that land and has displayed growing confidence in recent weeks, increasingly taking the initiative in a conflict that the Kremlin itself has admitted was stalled.

More strikes reported near Ukraine’s nuclear power plantAug. 29, 202201:37Military observers have been anticipating a counterattack on the ground in the south as Ukraine seemingly targeted Russian military sites, as well as key bridges, with strikes deep behind defensive lines there and in nearby Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-counteroffensive-russian-held-south-kherson-rcna45265

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