| Ukrainian forces have stepped up artillery strikes and ground assaults at several points along the front line. The military action, which began on Sunday, may signal that Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia has begun, U.S. officials said. The Russian authorities reported yesterday that major Ukrainian attacks had started at five different locations in the eastern region of Donetsk. |
| Ukraine has said that it will make no formal announcement about the start of its counteroffensive. This past weekend, the Ukrainian military released a video renewing its plea for operational silence about the expected counteroffensive, with the slogan “Plans love silence.” |
| Military analysts and Western officials have long thought that a counteroffensive will focus on southern Ukraine and aim at severing the land routes that connect Russia and occupied Crimea. The operation is expected to involve thousands of Ukrainian troops — including many trained by NATO forces and equipped with advanced Western equipment. |
| Far-right iconography: Why do some Ukrainian soldiers wear symbols that were made notorious by Nazi Germany? And how does it relate to false claims by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, that Ukraine is a Nazi state? |
| In other news: President Biden hosted Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, at the White House to discuss security initiatives, including providing military support to Ukraine. |
