Ukrainian official hints counteroffensive coming ‘soon’

A Ukrainian official has indicated the country’s expected counteroffensive is coming “soon,” as Russian missiles hit Ukraine overnight and in a rarer daylight attack Monday.

The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a Telegram post that “the time will soon come when we will move to active offensive actions” and “defined specific tasks” for military preparations, according to translations.

Officials appear to be hinting that Ukraine may be nearing go-time on its long-anticipated counteroffensive.

“It’s time to get back what’s ours,” Ukraine’s chief military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said in a Telegram post Saturday.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early May that his country’s military needed more time to prepare for a counteroffensive, arguing it would be “unacceptable” to start such a move at the time.

Russia continued to hit Kyiv with overnight missile attacks over the weekend, but the Ukrainian capital also saw a daylight onslaught of attacks Monday.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that at least one person died in the city Saturday, and at least one person was injured Monday.

The Associated Press contributed.

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