Ukraine allies see risk in Russia's response to battlefield setbacks

The apical U.S. wide warned connected Sunday it was unclear however Russia would respond to its battlefield setbacks successful Ukraine, arsenic Britain said Moscow's forces had widened strikes connected civilian infrastructure and were apt to grow their targets further.

Ukraine's General Staff said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks by Russian troops successful the areas of the Kharkiv portion successful the eastbound and Kherson successful the southbound wherever Ukraine launched counter-offensives this month, arsenic good arsenic successful parts of Donetsk successful the southeast.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed determination would beryllium fto up successful the fighting.

"Perhaps it seems to immoderate of you that aft a bid of victories we present person a lull of sorts," helium said successful his regular nightly address. "But determination volition beryllium nary lull. There is mentation for the adjacent bid ... For Ukraine indispensable beryllium free. All of it."

Ukrainians who returned to the northeastern country retaken successful Kyiv's lightning beforehand earlier this period were searching for their dormant portion Russian artillery and aerial strikes kept pounding targets crossed Ukraine's east.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin brushed disconnected Ukraine's swift counteroffensive and said Moscow would respond much forcefully if its troops were enactment nether further pressure.

Such repeated threats person raised concerns Putin could astatine immoderate constituent crook to tiny atomic weapons oregon chemic warfare.

U.S. President Joe Biden, asked what helium would archer Putin if helium was considering utilizing specified weapons, replied successful an interrogation with CBS's "60 Minutes": "Don't. Don't. Don't. It would alteration the look of warfare dissimilar thing since World War Two."

Some subject analysts person said Russia mightiness besides signifier a atomic incidental astatine Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest atomic powerfulness works held by Russia but tally by Ukrainian staff.

Moscow and Kyiv person accused each different of shelling astir the works that has damaged buildings and disrupted powerfulness lines needed to support it cooled and safe.

U.S. Army General Mark Milley, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for vigilance aft visiting a basal successful Poland aiding Ukraine's warfare effort. His remarks were a reminder of the risks of escalation arsenic the United States and its NATO allies assistance Ukraine from a distance.

"The warfare is not going excessively good for Russia close present So it's incumbent upon each of america to support precocious states of readiness, alert," helium said aft his travel to the base, which reporters traveling with him were asked not to identify.

Five civilians were killed successful Russian attacks successful the eastbound Donetsk portion implicit the past time and successful Nikopol, further west, respective twelve residential buildings, state pipelines and powerfulness lines were hit, determination governors said connected Sunday.

In an quality update, Britain's defence ministry said Russian strikes astatine civilian infrastructure, including a powerfulness grid and a dam, had intensified.

"As it faces setbacks connected the beforehand lines, Russia has apt extended the locations it is prepared to onslaught successful an effort to straight undermine the morale of the Ukrainian radical and government," it said.

On Saturday, Zelenskiy said authorities had recovered a wide sedate containing the bodies of 17 soldiers successful Izium, immoderate of which helium said bore signs of torture.

Izium residents person been searching for dormant relatives astatine a wood sedate tract wherever workers began exhuming bodies past week. Ukrainian officials said past week they had recovered 440 bodies successful woods adjacent Izium. They said astir of the dormant were civilians and the causes of decease had not been established.

The Kremlin has not commented connected the find of the graves, but successful the past Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians oregon committing atrocities.

Making his mode betwixt graves and trees wherever exhumations were underway, Volodymyr Kolesnyk was trying to lucifer numbers connected woody crosses with names connected a neatly handwritten database to find relatives who helium said were killed successful an aerial onslaught aboriginal successful the war. Kolesnyk said helium got the database from a section ceremonial institution that dug the graves.

"They buried the bodies successful bags, without coffins, without anything. I was not allowed present astatine first. They (Russians) said it was mined and asked to wait," helium told Reuters.

In Kozacha Lopan, a colony immoderate 45 km (30 miles) northbound of Kharkiv and lone astir 5 km (3 miles) from the Russian border, a Reuters newsman was taken to a squalid cellar with rooms fitted with robust bars, which officials said had served arsenic a makeshift situation during the occupation. District politician Vyacheslav Zadorenko said the rooms had been utilized arsenic a "torture cellar" to detain civilians. Reuters was incapable to verify those accounts.

Elsewhere successful the region, residents of towns recaptured aft six months of Russian concern were returning with a substance of joyousness and trepidation.

"I've inactive kept this feeling, that immoderate infinitesimal a ammunition could detonate oregon an airplane could alert over," said Nataliia Yelistratova, who traveled with her hubby and girl 80 km (50 miles) connected a bid from Kharkiv to her hometown of Balakliia to find her flat artifact intact, but scarred by shelling.

"I'm inactive frightened to beryllium here," she said aft discovering a portion of shrapnel successful a wall.