Russia ‘taken by surprise’ as Ukraine advances in the east

A woman stands in front of a house that was heavily damaged after a Russian attack in Sloviansk, Ukraine (AP)

Ukrainian officials have claimed major gains in a counter-offensive against Russian forces in the country’s north-east, saying vital supplies to the invaders had been cut off from the front-line hotspot.

The reports followed several days of apparent advances by Ukraine south of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, in what could become the biggest battlefield success for Ukrainian forces since they thwarted a Russian attempt to seize the capital of Kyiv at the start of the war nearly seven months ago.