Ukraine has begun counter-offensive to retake Russian-held south; Launches Counteroffensive in South, Leading with Artillery Bombardment; Zelenskiy tells Russians to run for their lives from Ukraine offensive in south; Ukraine launches counter-offensive in south as Russia shells port city, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine says it has begun counter-offensive to retake Russian-held south:

Ukrainian troops bolstered by stepped-up supplies of Western military aid on Monday started a long-awaited counter-offensive to retake territory in the south seized by Russian forces since their invasion six months ago.

However, the southern port city of Mykolaiv came under heavy Russian shelling, with the mayor saying homes had been hit and at least two people killed.

Meanwhile, a team from the United Nations nuclear watchdog headed to Ukraine to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — captured by Russian forces in March but still run by Ukrainian staff — that has become a highly dangerous frontline in the war.

Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations of shelling in the vicinity of the nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, amid fears of a radiation leak in a country still haunted by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.

The spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said its troops had started offensive actions in several directions in the south, including in the Kherson region. —>READ MORE HERE

WSJ: Ukraine Launches Counteroffensive in South, Leading with Artillery Bombardment:

Russia plays down assault but reports by Russian military bloggers suggest that Ukraine made breakthroughs to the northeast of Kherson

Ukraine launched a military offensive in its south aimed at retaking territory captured by Russia in the early days of the war and firmly seizing the initiative after six months of fighting.

Ukrainian officials said the country’s forces were going on the attack after artillery struck bridges, ammunition depots and military facilities in occupied territory overnight and Monday morning.

The scope and immediate effects of the offensive were difficult to assess, as Ukrainian officials declined to provide details, citing the secrecy required in military operations.

“There is news. It has inspired everyone. We need to be patient,” said Nataliya Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern military command.

Oleksiy Arestovych, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, said late Monday that Ukrainian forces had broken through the front lines in several places and had almost completely cut supply lines across the Dnipro River to Russian troops on its western bank.

For now, he said, it looked like “a nice little offensive” that Ukrainian forces were seeking to develop.

The result of the offensive could set the tone for the next phase of the war. After Ukraine repelled a Russian thrust toward Kyiv in spring, Moscow’s forces captured some territory in its neighbor’s east by using artillery and airstrikes to demolish cities and then seize them.

With Russian efforts in the east appearing exhausted, Ukraine has said in recent weeks that it would strike back in the south, where it has sought to slice Russian supply lines by striking ammunition depots, command posts and bridges. —>READ MORE HERE

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