Ukraine’s ground offensive against Russia is active in at least four areas, while Kremlin forces keep up a daily barrage of missile and drone attacks. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the counteroffensive had begun early this week and claimed that all attempts made by Ukraine “so far have failed.” Still, he lamented shortages of “modern” weapons as Moscow races to ramp up military output. Putin’s acknowledgment “is a notable departure from his previous distanced approach to discussing battlefield realities and may indicate that the Kremlin is learning from its previous failed approach to rhetorically downplay successful Ukrainian counteroffensives in 2022,” said US military analysts at the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia overnight launched eight missiles and 35 Shahed drones at various targets including the central Poltava region, Kharkiv in the northeast and Odesa on the Black Sea coast, Ukraine’s air defenses said. Three people were killed and dozens injured when drone debris hit a residential building in Odesa. Poltava’s airfield was struck by what were described as Iskander-type ballistic missiles.

Rescue efforts continue in response to flooding caused by the Kakhovka Dam collapse on June 6. The UN’s top humanitarian official defended the agency’s response to the New York Times after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticized international aid groups actions on the ground in an interview with a German newspaper. “They’re not here,” Zelenskiy told Bild of aid agencies including the UN and International Red Cross.

Latest Coverage

• Germany eyes Polish involvement in Nord Stream sabotage: WSJ
• Pentagon Commits $2 Billion More to Long-Term Ukraine Defense
• Russia Building Attack-Drone Plant With Iran Supplies, US Says
• EU Widens Sanctions Net for Russian Business Owners and Families

Coming Up

• UN watchdog Rafael Mariano Grossi to visit Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant next week