Ukraine continued its counteroffensive in multiple parts of the front line Saturday, as African leaders met with President Vladimir Putin, hoping to persuade the Russian leader to seek peace talks with Ukraine.
So far, Ukraine has claimed advances covering more than 40 square miles. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that troops were encountering firepower and mined fields in the south.
Russia’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was “totally irresponsible,” President Biden said after Putin confirmed that Russia has already transferred some of the weapons.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Russia aims to defeat counteroffensive with mines, artillery and aviation: The initial days of Ukraine’s counteroffensive may have yielded minor gains, but Russia has its own plans to stall Kyiv’s advances. Russia has used the past seven months, Mary Ilyushina reports, to shore up its reserves and ammunition and gather more drones. Its forces have fortified the 900-mile-long front line stretching from Zaporizhzhia to the Belgorod region in its territory.
While Russia’s defense has weaknesses, military experts said, it is likely to slow down and impede Ukraine’s plans. “They’ve had months to create a defensive plan, they’ve dug in and used the terrain, they’ve been sitting there for six months laying little traps and mines,” said Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at Rand Corp. “They feel as confident as they are probably going to feel that they understand their defensive lines.”
