Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia appears to have begun, as stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place," he stated on Saturday, June 10, according to BBC. However, he emphasized that he would not disclose the current phase of the counteroffensive.
Ukrainian forces have pushed east of Bakhmut and south of Zaporizhzhia, launching long-range attacks on Russian targets.
Meanwhile, in a video interview released on Friday, June 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared, "We can definitely state that this Ukrainian offensive has begun."
Zelensky, speaking in Kyiv after meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, called Putin's comments "interesting."
Canada Pledges Military Support to Ukraine
During his surprise trip, Trudeau pledged increased military funding for Ukraine in the amount of 500 million Canadian dollars (about $373 million), as reported by Reuters.
Following the meetings, the two countries released a joint statement in which they expressed their agreement that Canada would welcome Ukraine into North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as soon as the circumstances were suitable. The NATO summit in July would be the venue for this discussion.
Russia's Drone Attack Damaged Apartment Building in Odesa
In the southern city of Odesa, three people were killed and many more were wounded in a Russian attack overnight, prompting the press conference. BBC reported that Ukraine authorities said the fire in a residential building was sparked by falling debris from a wrecked Russian drone.
A separate Russian strike on an airstrip in central Poltava occurred throughout the night.
After a six-hour assault on Odesa using eight land-based missiles and 35 drones, air defense forces were able to shoot down 20 drones and two cruise missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force.
A spokesman for the southern military command, Natalia Humeniuk, said that a fire had broken out because pieces of one of the drones had fallen into an apartment building during the air battle.
Emergency services reported that the fire was swiftly extinguished, and 27 persons, including three children, were injured. They said that 12 individuals had to be evacuated from the building.
Damage to an Odesa apartment complex was seen in images showing shattered glass and scattered debris throughout the structure. Others displayed photos of a huge hole in the ground.
The local governor in Poltava claims that early Saturday morning, Russian ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, attacked the airport nearby. According to him, it wreaked havoc on the airport's facilities and machinery.
Separately, an incident in the northeastern Kharkiv area claimed the life of a 29-year-old man.
Meanwhile, Russian sources claim that battle has recently risen in the strategic southern Zaporizhzhia area, where Ukrainian troops are reportedly aiming to retake the Sea of Azov to divide Russian forces. However, massive flooding in the south of the nation when the Nova Khakovka dam collapsed last week might impede Ukraine's hopes of regional progress.
