Kyiv launched its large-scale counteroffensive, and the Ukrainian military is going to pour everything it has against the Russian defenses. That means using older tanks in unconventional ways.

"Putin tried to commit a new level of aggression," Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Ukraine's occupied southern city of Melitopol, told Newsweek.

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.

Kyiv authorities didn’t confirm the attacks Monday and suggested the claims that major battles are underway were a Russian misinformation ruse.

Ukraine's plans for a counteroffensive against Russian occupation remain on track, its deputy defence minister told Reuters on Saturday, despite an "unprecedented" wave of missile and drone attacks across the country in recent weeks.