Under the impression of reports about the possible start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken of "particularly difficult battles". He held a meeting with the Stavka, the high command of Ukraine, on Friday, Zelensyy said in his evening video address. It was about "our defensive actions, our offensive actions, our gains on the front lines." Then Zelensky thanked all the soldiers "who are in particularly difficult battles these days."

Meanwhile, after the destruction of the dam in the Kherson region, rescue work continues at full speed. And the catastrophe is also triggering increased concern about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where the cooling pond is coming under pressure.

Putin: Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had begun a few days ago. Some international media, citing Ukrainian military representatives, have already reported that the operation to liberate occupied territories has probably been going on for several days. Officially, Kiev is currently keeping a low profile, but had always emphasized in advance that it would not comment on the start of its own offensive.

"We can safely say that this offensive has begun," Putin said, according to the Interfax agency. In addition, he claimed that the Ukrainians had not achieved their goals on any sector of the front. However, this could not be independently verified. Since the beginning of the war, the Russian side in particular has repeatedly attracted attention for its military false statements.

Russia invaded the neighboring country on February 24, 2022 and currently occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine's territory. With the help of Western weapons, Kiev is also planning to reconquer the occupied parts of the country.

Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: Cooling pond under pressure according to IAEA

The large cooling pond of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia is moving into the focus of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after the destruction of the dam on the Dnipro. The pressure on the dike around the pond is increasing on the inside, as the level of the dammed river has fallen sharply on the outside, the IAEA reported in Vienna. The nuclear agency – which has stationed observers at the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant – is monitoring the situation closely, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reported.

Europe's largest nuclear power plant is not threatened in the short term, but the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and increasing military activity would cause "significant new difficulties," Grossi said. Previously, the environmental organization Greenpeace had also warned on Friday of a break in the cooling pond.

Southwest of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the important Kakhovka dam was destroyed last Tuesday in the Kherson region. Ukraine accuses the Russian occupiers of blowing it up. Moscow rejects this. At least 13 people were killed in the disaster, but the number of victims could rise even further.

Another multibillion-dollar U.S. military package for Ukraine

The U.S. government is providing Ukraine with further billions of dollars in military aid to defend against Russia's war of aggression. The US Department of Defense announced in Washington a new package of military equipment worth 2.1 billion US dollars (1.95 billion euros). According to the Pentagon, this includes, among other things, ammunition for various weapons systems that the United States has already delivered to Ukraine.

Putin announced his intention to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus from July. On July 7 and 8, preparations at the relevant facilities would be completed, Putin said on Friday, according to the state news agency Tass, after a meeting with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. Then the laying will begin. Everything is on schedule. This would mean that the deployment would begin just before the NATO summit in Lithuania, a neighboring country of Belarus. The summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius will take place on 11 and 12 July.

Putin had already announced on March 25 that he would transfer Russian nuclear weapons to the allied ex-Soviet republic of Belarus. He also justified the announced stationing of the weapons with the fact that the United States had been holding nuclear weapons in Europe, including Germany, for years. The West had strongly criticized the plans.