Ukraine claims to gain ground in Bakhmut, in the east, but relativizes the scale of "offensive actions" carried out elsewhere on the border. Russian experts and military expect Kiev to increase attacks on enemy lines to detect weaknesses, before launching the bulk of the troops.
Pope Francis' envoy for peace, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, visited Butcha, a town near Kiev that has become a symbol of Russian atrocities. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak joked that Russia "is already actively engaged in repelling a comprehensive offensive that does not yet exist"