SVT's Ukraine correspondent Elin Jönsson and photographer Lars Lyrefelt are on site in Ukraine where two independent sources state that the Ukrainian offensive has actually begun. The operation is now said to be in an initial phase where it feels its way forward and tries to find weak points in the Russian lines.
Some of the fiercest fighting has reportedly raged in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Ukrainians have reportedly encountered a united Russian resistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine had launched its counteroffensive, but according to him, without achieving any major advances.