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A dam bursts, but this barbaric attack will not halt Kyiv’s ‘big push’

Ukrainians hope events on the battlefield might precipitate the change in Russia that removes Putin. Askold Krshelnycky meets the troops preparing to move out, and hears what they have planned

Wednesday 07 June 2023 15:20 BST
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<p>Flooding has already submerged a huge swathe of territory, with thousands of people having to be evacuated even as the Russians reportedly shell rescuers and survivors</p>

Flooding has already submerged a huge swathe of territory, with thousands of people having to be evacuated even as the Russians reportedly shell rescuers and survivors

The blowing up of the Kakhovsky dam in a Russian-occupied area of southern Ukraine might change the dynamic of any Ukrainian plans for a big offensive — but it is coming.

For months speculation about a Ukrainian offensive has grown in proportion to the increasing array of powerful Western-supplied weapons, including tanks, devastatingly precise missiles and artillery of the sort needed to spearhead a large-scale offensive.

The Russians are adamant it has started and Moscow even boasted its forces had already smashed the Ukrainian onslaught, killing hundreds of enemy soldiers and destroying many tanks.

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