Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have confirmed that his country's long-awaited counter-offensive against Russia has started. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video interview published Friday that Ukrainian forces had certainly begun their offensive but that attempted advances had failed with heavy casualties. Ukrainian troops are reported to have advanced in the east near Bakhmut and in the south near Zaporizhzhia, and have carried out long-range strikes on Russian targets. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 500 million Canadian dollars (£297m) in new military aid for Ukraine during the unannounced visit. A separate overnight Russian strike targeted an airfield in the central region of Poltava.
Ukraine's air force said the Odesa attack, which lasted six hours, involved eight land-based missiles and 35 drones, and that air defence units were able to shoot down 20 drones and two cruise missiles. Ukraine and Russia have been facing a series of conflicting events in recent days. In one incident, debris from a drone fell onto a high-rise apartment, causing a fire and wounding 27 people. An apartment building in Odesa was heavily damaged, with debris covering rooms and windows blown out. An airfield in the central region of Poltava was also hit by a Russian attack, involving ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
A 29-year-old was killed in a separate attack in the northeast Kharkiv region. Fighting has escalated in recent days in the key southern Zaporizhzhia region, with Ukraine forces reported to be trying to regain access to the Sea of Azov. Huge flooding in the south of the country after the Nova Khakovka dam was destroyed last week has covered around 230 square miles (596 sq km) either side of the Dnipro River. NATO and Ukraine's military have accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russia has blamed Ukraine.
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