Jun 10, 2023 3:36pm BST
Updated 14 minutes ago
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have confirmed that his country’s long-awaited counter-offensive against Russia has begun.
“There are counter-offensive and defensive measures,” he said on Saturday.
However, he added that he would not go into detail about the stage or state of the counteroffensive.
The comments come after an escalation in fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine and speculation on the progress of the much-anticipated push.
According to reports, Ukrainian troops advanced to the east at Bakhmut and to the south at Zaporizhia and launched long-range strikes on Russian targets.
However, it is difficult to assess the reality on the front lines as the two warring factions present different narratives: Ukraine claims to be making progress and Russia that it is repelling attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video interview released on Friday that Ukrainian forces had launched their offensive, but that advance attempts had failed with heavy casualties.
Speaking in Kiev after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mr Zelenskyi described the Russian leader’s words as “interesting”.
Mr Zelenskyi shrugged, raised his eyebrows and pretended not to know who Mr Putin was. He said it was important for Russia to feel “that they don’t have much time left”.
He also said that Ukraine’s military commanders are in a positive mood, adding: “Tell that to Putin.”
Mr Trudeau announced C$500 million (£297 million) in new military aid to Ukraine during the unannounced visit.
A joint statement after the talks said Canada would support Ukraine’s membership of NATO “once conditions permit,” adding that the issue would be discussed at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July.
Drone debris hits houses in Odessa
The press conference followed an overnight Russian attack that left three dead and dozens injured in the southern city of Odessa.
Falling debris from a downed Russian drone sparked a fire at an apartment block in the Black Sea port city, Ukrainian officials said.
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The apartment block in Odessa was damaged in a massive Russian drone strike
A separate overnight Russian attack targeted an airfield in the central Poltava region.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the six-hour attack in Odessa involved eight land-based missiles and 35 drones, and air defense units managed to shoot down 20 drones and two cruise missiles.
“As a result of the dogfight, debris from one of the drones fell on a high-rise apartment building and caused a fire,” said Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the southern military command.
According to the rescue workers, 27 people, including three children, were injured and the fire was quickly extinguished. Twelve people were rescued from the building, it said.
Pictures showed a badly damaged apartment building in Odessa, with debris covering the rooms and windows blown out. Others showed a large crater on the ground.
An airfield in the central Poltava region was also hit by a Russian attack early Saturday, which the local governor said involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. He said it caused damage to the airfield’s infrastructure and equipment.
A 29-year-old was killed in another attack in the northeastern Kharkiv region, officials said.
Meanwhile, fighting has escalated in the key southern Zaporizhia region in recent days, Russian officials say, with Ukrainian forces reportedly attempting to regain access to the Sea of Azov, which would split Russian forces.
However, Ukraine’s hopes for progress in the region could be dashed by massive flooding in the south of the country following the destruction of the Nova Chakovka dam last week.
The flooding has covered around 230 square miles (596 square kilometers) on both sides of the Dnipro River.
NATO and the Ukrainian military have accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russia has blamed Ukraine.