Ukraine launches counterattacks on Russian positions | Ukraine latest

According to British intelligence, Ukrainian forces have succeeded in recapturing towns and defensive positions from invading Russian forces up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. A report from the British Defense Ministry on Friday said Ukrainian troops were also likely to continue pushing back Russian forces on the northwestern axis from Kyiv toward the Hostomel Airfield, some 26 kilometers from the capital. It was captured by Russian forces on February 25 at the start of Moscow's invasion. Russian forces in the south of Ukraine were still seeking to circumvent the city of Mykolaiv as they try to move in on Odesa, with fierce Ukrainian resistance and supply issues impeding their progress, according to the report.

A number of Russian military units have withdrawn behind the Russian border after suffering the loss of more than half their personnel, the Ukrainian general staff has said. According to Oleksiy Arestovych, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, the front lines between Ukrainian and Russian troops have become "practically frozen." The general staff said Russian troops were continuing to blockade the large cities of Kharkiv and Sumy and also seemed to be preparing for a new offensive in Izyum in the Kharkiv region. The information cannot be independently verified.

The number of people in Germany who are in favor of Ukraine joining the EU has risen by 16% since 2018, a YouGov survey has shown. Forty-six percent of those asked would now like to see Ukraine in the bloc. The survey also showed a clear reduction in the number of people opposed to the country's EU membership, with just 30% against compared with 47% in 2018. Other countries are showing similar trends, with 42% of people in France in favor of Ukraine's EU accession (2018: 22%), 60% in Spain and 45% in Italy. The percentage of those who are undecided remains fairly high in all the countries included in the survey at 24-29%. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged that his country be quickly accepted into the bloc amid Russia's invasion and has signed a formal application. But several EU countries, including Germany, have spoken out against fast-tracking Ukraine's bid for membership.

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