[Dargo]

According to the US Department of Defence, the main attack of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun. This is reported by The New York Times on the basis of two anonymous but highly placed sources within the Pentagon. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers trained in the West and held in reserve behind the front in recent months are now said to have been deployed. The attack was reportedly deployed in the southeast of the country. There is no official confirmation from the Ukrainian side, but President Volodymyr Zelensky did say tonight that "very good news has come from the front". The president did not give more details, but he did say more news would follow soon.

Earlier today, the Russian defence ministry said that Ukraine had launched a new large-scale attack in Zaporizhzhya province. Russian military bloggers also reported heavy fighting and advancing Ukrainian troops, using tanks and armoured vehicles given to them by the West. According to the Russian defence ministry, all attacks were repelled, but those reports could not be independently verified.