- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
- Ukrainian soldiers inspected the wreckage of a Russian tank
in the village of Rubizhne, recently
recaptured from the invaders.
Kyiv said on Tuesday its forces had successfully pushed
Russian troops out of several towns
near the city of Kharkiv, part of a counteroffensive
that Ukraine hopes could change the course of the War.
One Ukrainian soldier here boasted
his team could keep delivering these sorts of results.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: The weapons are helping
us a lot, the anti-tank ones.
I wish the state would supply us with them more frequently.
We use the weapons exclusively for specific targets.
As you can see, we have results.
If there are weapons, we will have more results.
- Kyiv's counteroffensive here could be consequential.
Ukrainian forces are moving into striking distance of the supply
lines, supporting Russia's main attack force in the south,
where Moscow has focused on encircling and capturing
the Donbass region.
Ukrainian forces have so far mostly held out.
Despite these setbacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin
has showed no signs of calling off
or limiting what he's termed a special military operation.
US director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
said on Tuesday she believes Russia
still plans for a long war.
AVRIL HAINES: We assess President Putin is preparing
for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine,
during which he still intends to achieve
goals beyond the Donbass.
The uncertain nature of the battle, which is developing
into a war of attrition, combined with the reality
that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions
and Russia's current conventional military
capabilities, likely means the next few months could see
us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially
escalatory trajectory.
- Demonstrating Moscow's reach, Russian missiles
destroyed a shopping center and depot
in the port city of Odessa.
The Ukrainian military said one person was killed
and five were injured.
In Mariupol, Russian forces again pummeled the Azovstal
Steelworks on Tuesday, trying to capture it,
the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the ruined city.
Scores of civilians have been evacuated from the steelworks
in recent days, but an aide to Mariupol's mayor
said at least 100 still remained inside.
Ukraine says tens of thousands of people
have died under two months of Russian siege and bombardment.
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