Ukrainian leaders are hoping that the beginning of a long-awaited counterattack will liberate territory occupied by Russian troops for more than a year.

Russia reported heavy fighting along the front in southern Ukraine on Friday, where bloggers described the first sightings of German and U.S. armour, signalling that Ukraine's long-anticipated counterattack was under way.

Ukrainian security service says it intercepted a call proving Russian forces blew up hydroelectric station.   13:11 The Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida told the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday that Japan will offer emergency humanitarian aid worth about $5m (£3.

Water was surging through the critical Kakhovka dam Tuesday, unleashing flooding that could threaten hundreds of thousands of residents, as well as a nearby nuclear plant.

Ukraine is sending mixed signals about its long-anticipated counteroffensive, but its forces are on the move, and Russians are feeling the war more than ever.

Prigozhin, who spent months with his troops in war-torn Bakhmut, said Russia would have destroyed the Earth "five times over" by the Kremlin's logic. Russia's defense ministry said its military took down 16 tanks and 250 Ukrainian troops, but Ukraine said it had no information on an attack.

The Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine has been destroyed, with both Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of responsibility.