Ukraine has said it is concluding its preparations for a huge ground assault to try and reclaim land seized by Russia after Moscow launched its first large-scale missile assault in weeks that killed at least 25 people.
The Ukrainian defence minister, Oleskii Reznikov, said that weapons received from the West will help his country use an “iron fist” to punch through Russian lines, as Kyiv seeks to reclaim the near one-fifth of the country Moscow occupies. “As soon as there is God’s will, the weather and a decision by commanders, we will do it,” Mr Reznikov told an online news briefing, adding that Ukraine’s military is “to a high percentage ready” for the counteroffensive.
