Good morning to readers. Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
And I’m back in the capital.
The counteroffensive for which this publication is named after may still be a ways off.
Ukraine is waiting for more equipment from its western partners, Zelenskyy said.
"We can go forward and be successful," Zelenskyy told reporters.
"But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time."
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-counteroffensive-needs-time-zelenskyy-says/a-65588225
Meanwhile the head of the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary organization, said that Ukraine's counteroffensive is “in full swing.” “Zelenskyy is lying,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Ukrainian forces likely broke through some Russian lines in localized counterattacks near Bakhmut, prompting responses from Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). Ukrainian Eastern Group of Forces Commander
The Counteroffensive newsletter today begins with Andriy Stepanenko, a pseudonym for a Ukrainian drone pilot we visited in the hospital today. We cover his injuries, and his greatest fear for the counteroffensive. Hope you'll subscribe, free or paid:
A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
And as we drove from western Ukraine to Kyiv, there were no signs of the checkpoints that characterized the early days of the war. Instead, bridges were being repaired. Shot-up gas stations were being reopened.
Pictured: Cow of war being transported
At the entrance to Kyiv, two disinterested soldiers waved cars through without stopping to ask for identification or passports. People are trying to pretend like life is going on as normal. They’re enjoying the cool, sunny days of spring.
Photos: Lviv in Spring
The process of reentering Ukraine was also smoother than before.
A Polish customs officer poked around our luggage, asking playfully, "Rifle, maybe?"
"No, no rifles!" we insisted.
Tim Mak
Nathan Carpenter