"It is obvious how much is at stake for #Ukraine, politically and emotionally. But in Kyiv, the anxiety runs deeper than that. 'I know that when the counteroffensive starts, a lot of people I know will die,' a politician told the Guardian on Sunday."

Russian bloggers fill in counteroffensive blanks as #Kyiv’s troops probe frontline | #UkraineWar | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/05/ukraine-counter-attack-looks-imminent-as-troops-search-for-russian-weaknesses

This is it. And the Russians blowing up the #KakhovkaDam won't affect the counteroffensive at all.

"The combat against Russian positions south of Zaporizhzhia included western-supplied tanks and armoured vehicles and infantry backed by artillery. There were reports of intense fighting outside the town of #Tokmak, a key Russian logistical hub." #UkraineWar

Intense fighting reported as Ukrainian forces go on attack south of #Zaporizhzhia
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/08/tense-fighting-reported-as-ukrainian-forces-go-on-attack-south-of-zaporizhzhia

"President Volodymyr Zelensky, his armed forces and their supporters in the West will be hoping for something similar. They need a decisive campaign that not only recaptures swathes of Ukrainian territory but also destroys a significant part of the Russian armed forces in #Ukraine so they cannot conduct offensive operations again in 2023." #UkraineWar

#MickRyan assesses #Ukraine’s counter-offensive
https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2023/06/08/mick-ryan-assesses-ukraines-counter-offensive

"Known as 'the gate to Crimea' , the #ChonharBridge is one of a handful of bridges linking #Crimea – which was annexed by #Russia in 2014 – with the mainland.

#Ukraine is determined to retake the Crimean peninsula and one of the key objectives of its recently launched counteroffensive is to isolate Russian troops there."#UkraineWar

Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukraine strikes bridge linking Kherson and Crimea, Russia-appointed officials say
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/jun/22/russia-ukraine-war-live-slow-pace-of-counteroffensive-setting-conditions-for-future-main-effort-usthinktank-says?page=with:block-649401328f08c081c5bb5d01#block-649401328f08c081c5bb5d01

"Repairing the #Chonhar road bridge after a missile strike #Russia has blamed on #Ukraine could take up to several weeks, a Russian-installed transport ministry official in #Crimea was cited as saying on Thursday." #ChonharBridge #UkraineWar

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/jun/22/russia-ukraine-war-live-slow-pace-of-counteroffensive-setting-conditions-for-future-main-effort-usthinktank-says?page=with:block-649421518f08657ec732080f#block-649421518f08657ec732080f

Wagner chief Yevgeny #Prigozhin on Wednesday contradicted Russian President Vladimir #Putin’s insistence that that there was a “lull” in #Ukraine’s counteroffensive, saying in an audio message that “huge chunks” of Ukrainian territory have been regained by its army. #UkraineWar

Russia’s #Wagner mercenary chief says #Moscow ‘misleading Russians’ over #UkraineOffensive
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230621-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-western-allies-seeking-private-funds-to-rebuild-ukraine-at-london-conference