The war for the survival of Ukraine enters another critical phase as its summer offensive gathers momentum. The fighting along the 620-mile front is tough, with the Russians relying on huge defences, tank traps and ditches, and the Ukrainians searching for a weak point to make a decisive breakthrough.
The withdrawal of Wagner mercenaries, and the dust storm raised in Rostov and Moscow by their swashbuckling boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, have proved a welcome distraction. But it doesn’t seem to have weakened the Russian forces on the front line.
