Fighting rages around Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut as Russian missiles pound Zelensky's hometown
BITTER fighting raged around Zaprozhzhia and Bakhmut today as Ukrainian troops sought to press a counter-offensive against entrenched Russian positions.
And at least 11 people were killed overnight as a hail of Russian missiles hit residential areas in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a major mining and metallurgical centre.
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Where did the Russian missile attack take place?
Russia said the bombardment was designed to take out Ukrainian reservists and weapons dumps.
In a televised meeting with Russian war correspondents, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Ukraine's offensive was "large-scale" and that Ukrainian shelling had hit villages in the Russian border region around Kursk.
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What is Putin's reaction to the Ukrainian counteroffensive?
While the US has requested that Ukraine not use weaponry it supplies to attack territory inside Russia, fearing possible massive retaliation, the British government has not placed any such conditions on arms supplies.
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What is the role of the US in the conflict?
Mr Putin said Russia "could have prepared better" for attacks on its territory and suggested an exclusion zone might need to be put in place.
He also tried to assure residents of Crimea, whose water supply has been severely disrupted by flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, that authorities were working on restoring clean water. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for blowing the dam.
But on the offensive, he insisted Ukraine was having limited success and experiencing "heavy losses." Russian authorities posted videos showing captured equipment, including a German Leopard II tank and a US armoured vehicle.
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What is the current status of Ukrainian counteroffensive?
Ukraine says it has recaptured seven villages, four near Donetsk and three around Zaporizhzhia.
International Atomic Agency director general Raffele Grossi said he planned to visit the city's nuclear power plant yesterday and that he was worried the fighting in the area could lead to a nuclear accident.
To the north in Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko claimed facilities were ready for the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to his territory.
"God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression," he warned. The remarks appear to contradict Russian statements that the weapons would remain under its own control.
Mr Lukashenko said he had not asked for longer-range and higher-yield strategic nuclear warheads -- "am I going to fight America? No" -- but that with the tactical warheads in place nobody would dare to attack Belarus.