Russia targets Zelenskyy’s hometown with missiles as Ukraine continues counteroffensive

Geoff Bennett:

Ukraine is in the early stages of a long-planned counteroffensive to win back roughly a fifth of its homeland from Russian occupiers.

But, today, as Kyiv intensified its ground attacks, Moscow struck back with air assaults, which devastated a residential area in Central Ukraine.

Russian missiles raining down on the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy early today, leaving behind apocalyptic scenes. Rescue workers battled the blazes through the morning at a five-story residential building. The strikes killed at least 11 people, the highest toll from any single Russian attack since April.

Those who survived described the horrors of the nighttime assault.

Irina Kudravtseva, Kryvyi Rih Resident (through translator):

We were asleep. All the windows were shattered. I am still confused how it all happened. At first, there was a loud bang, the cars caught on fire, and the window here was blown out. It was bad, seriously.

Geoff Bennett:

It came as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive, broadcasting footage of what appeared to be early phases of its long-planned military action.

Today, Kyiv's deputy defense minister outlined four focal points of his armies counteroffensive in the south and the east. Military analysts say Ukraine is striking it fortified Russian positions along hundreds of miles of trenches, bunkers and minefields.

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges (RET.), U.S. Army: These defensive fortifications are only as good as the soldiers in them.

Geoff Bennett:

We asked former U.S. Army Europe Commander Ben Hodges about whether the Russian lines will hold.

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges:

I'm waiting to see, are the Russian troops better at defense than they were in the attack? If they don't do any better than they did in the attack, then it won't matter how many trenches there are.

But I also see, on the trenches, none of them have overhead cover. So people that are in those trenches, when the artillery starts on them, they're all going to be killed.

Geoff Bennett:

Today, independent video confirmed early signs of Ukrainian breakthroughs in the southeast. Footage showed military vehicles driving dusty roads near retaken villages, while a Ukrainian flag fluttered over the remains of a grocery store in another captured town.

Artem, Territorial Defense Forces Fighter (through translator):

Three days ago, the Russian forces were still here. We chased them out. Glory to Ukraine. This village was under Russian occupation for a year-and-a-half. But these are Ukrainian lands.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, Moscow claimed its own rewards, releasing video showing of what appeared to be a captured German-made Leopard 2 tank and a U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges:

There's a difference between the beginning of the offensive, which clearly has started, and the beginning of the main attack.

When we see two or three armored brigades, I mean, that's between 500 and 700 armored vehicles of all types. When we see that, then I will think, OK, that's — that looks like main attack. But, even then, it could be a feint to draw Russian attention away from where the real main attack is.

Geoff Bennett:

In Washington today, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Biden and said Ukraine's counteroffensive would send a strong message to Russia.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General:

It's still early days, but what we do know is that the more land Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table, and also the more likely it will be that President Putin at some stage will understand that he will never win this war of aggression.

Geoff Bennett:

But earlier today, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin reiterated that,after 15 months of war, none of his objectives have changed.

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (through translator):

All in all, there are no significant changes in terms of the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the operation. Nothing has changed today.

Geoff Bennett:

And, as fighting rages across a 600-mile front, a humanitarian disaster still unfolds in Kherson. Soldiers picked apart buildings as they continued to rescue trapped residents one week after a disastrous dam collapse flooded the southern region.