US Officials Say the Main Thrust of Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Has Started

US officials told The New York Times on Wednesday that the main thrust of Ukraine’s counteroffensive has started while the Russian military reported a “massive” Ukrainian tank attack in the southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Unnamed Pentagon officials told the Times that Ukraine has poured in thousands of troops who were being held in reserve to the frontlines. Most of them have received training in NATO countries ahead of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was launched in early June.

The Russian Defense Ministry said there was heavy fighting to the south of Orikhiv, a Ukrainian-controlled town in Zaporizhzhia. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Ukrainian forces “carried out a massive attack by three battalions reinforced by tanks.”