JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine bides its time in its counteroffensive, trying to stretch Russian forces before striking” – AP
“The first phase of Ukraine’s counteroffensive … began weeks ago without fanfare. Apart from claiming … its troops are edging forward, Kyiv has not offered much detail …. [M]ostly out of sight of impartial observers … fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine pits troops equipped with new Western-supplied weapons against Kremlin forces that spent months digging formidable defenses and honing tactics. …
The Ukrainian counteroffensive will be ‘very long’ and ‘very bloody,’ U.S. Army [Joint Chiefs Chairman] Gen. Mark Milley … said …. Ukrainian soldiers say the sheer weight of Russian shelling … has been surprising and is slowing Kyiv’s advance. …”