IT BEGINS

Ukraine’s Big Counteroffensive Push Is Now Underway, U.S. Officials Say

The aim is to break Russia’s land bridge between the Crimean peninsula and occupied Ukraine.

Ukraine has launched a central part of its counteroffensive against Russia, Pentagon officials told The New York Times on Wednesday. The Times described the operation as the counteroffensive’s “main thrust” and has seen thousands of troops sent into battle in the southeast of Ukraine. The ultimate aim is to cut the vital land bridge between the areas which Russia occupies in Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, which currently acts as a crucial supply line for Moscow’s war machine. The big push is reportedly expected to take between one and three weeks and, if the main goal can’t be achieved, the hope is to bring the peninsula within range of Kyiv’s artillery. One anonymous senior official called the new operation “the big test.”