 Ukraine launched promised counter-offensive against Russia. Ukraine's forces have launched their long-awaited counter-offensive to reclaim territory occupied by Russia. The Washington Post reported it, citing four Ukrainian soldiers and officers. The Ukrainian military opened a crucial phase in the war, with intensified attacks on the front line. In southeast Ukraine, the members were cited as saying, Kiev's counter-attack aims both to restore its territorial integrity and preserve Western support. After publication said, officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have signalled in recent days that they have amassed enough Western military aid to mount a major counter-offensive against Russian forces without giving an exact date for its start. Before this, Zelensky declared that his country's military was ready to launch a counter-offensive against Russian forces. We strongly believe that we will succeed, Zelensky said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Russia's military claimed this week that it had repelled Ukraine's long-promised offensive in three days of fighting. Kiev has not responded to the claim. Following the full-scale invasion of its neighbor last year, the Kremlin claimed to have annexed eastern and southern Ukraine's Donetsk-Luhansk, Zaporizia and Kursan regions in a move that was widely condemned by the international community. However, large parts of these areas, including two of the regional capitals, are not currently under the control of Russian forces. Heavy fighting continues in all four of the Ukrainian regions, partially occupied by Russia.