'Ukraine's long-expected offensive has started', confirms Russian President Vladimir Putin

Ukraine's long-awaited counter-offensive against Russia has appeared to begin as Kyiv attempts to break through Moscow's defences and take back its territory.Till now, Kyiv has maintained radio silence over its plans on launching a full-fledged counter-offensive against Moscow. However, Ukraine's defence ministry posted a video of 4 June showing soldiers in fatigues putting their fingers to their lips."Plans love silence," said the video, widely believed to be about the counteroffensive.On Thursday, the Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Twitter said, "The Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun.""Ukraine's initial counteroffensive operations may be the most difficult and slowest, as they involve penetrating prepared defensive positions," the ISW said.It added, "This phase may also see the highest Ukrainian losses."Putin says counter-offensives have already failedRussian President Vladimir Putin was quick to comment on Ukraine's possible counter-offensive strikes against the country.He said Kyiv had so far "failed" to reach its goals."We can definitely state that this Ukrainian offensive has begun," Putin said in a video interview published on Telegram by a Russian journalist.He added, "But the Ukrainian troops did not reach their aims in any area of combat.""All counter-offensive efforts so far have failed, but the offensive potential of the Kyiv regime still remains," he continued.Meanwhile, Moscow on Thursday confirmed that clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces have intensified in the Zaporizhzhia region, particularly around the small town of Orikhiv and towards the larger city of Tokmak, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the south in Russian-occupied territory.US announces arms package for UkraineOn Friday, the US announced a $2.1-billion military aid package moments before Kyiv opened its counter-offensive against Russia.Included in the package are Patriot air defense systems, artillery rounds, drones and laser-guided rocket system munitions.The Pentagon said in a statement, "The new arms, illustrate the continued commitment to both Ukraine's critical near-term capabilities as well as the enduring capacity of Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term."With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.