Moscow and Kyiv have both reported
heavy fighting today, with bloggers reporting the first sightings of German and US armour.

It is difficult to assess whether Ukraine has penetrated Russian defences, given how little independent reporting there is on the front lines during offensive operations.

Intense battles on the Zaporizhzhia front near the city of Orikhiv have been reported by Moscow and pro-war Russian bloggers, suggesting the Crimean peninsula could be one of Ukraine’s targets.

Velyka Novosilka has seen four Ukrainian attacks, according to Vladimir Putin, and in the east, around Bakhmut, Ukraine has reported advances.

In all, Kyiv has 12 brigades totalling 50,000-60,000 troops ready to unleash – nine of which have been armed and trained by the West.

“They’ve got a choice of how many they commit initially and how many they keep in reserve in case the battlefield dynamics change,” said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the
International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Indeed, defence and security analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News earlier that Kyiv may observe see how the Russians react “before they decide where they’ll really put their money.”

Mr Barry said Ukraine’s initial priority would be trying to keep the Russians off balance and gain tactical surprise through deception and camouflage.