Kyiv ‘launches major offensive’ against Russian forces in southeastern Ukraine

A doctor inside the intensive care unit of Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Kyiv has launched a major attack on Russian forces as part of its weeks-long counteroffensive, committing thousands of troops to a battle in Ukraine’s southeast, according to western and Ukrainian officials and analysts.

The surge in soldiers and firepower has been centred on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, a western official said.