Ukraine announced on Tuesday (May 10) that its forces had retaken settlements north and northeast of Kharkiv from Russian soldiers, signaling a shift in the war's direction and jeopardizing Russia's main advance. According to Tetiana Apatchenko, a press officer with the major Ukrainian army in the area, Ukrainian soldiers recently recovered the communities of Cherkaski Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Borshchova, and Slobozhanske, which are located north of Ukraine's second-largest city.

        According to Yuriy Saks, a Defense Ministry expert, Ukrainian victories are driving Russian soldiers out of range of Kharkiv, which has been under constant bombardment since the war began. "The Ukrainian armed forces' combat actions surrounding Kharkiv, notably north and northeast of Kharkiv, are a success story," Saks told Reuters. "These war criminals were pushed to a line beyond the reach of their artillery by the Ukrainian army."

        Top US intelligence officials stated the conflict was at a standstill in Washington. President Vladimir Putin looked to be ready for a lengthy fight, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines indicated that a Russian win in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region might not be enough to end the conflict. However, the counterattack in Kharkiv might mark the start of a new phase, with Ukraine going on the offensive after weeks of Russian assaults that failed to yield results.

        By driving back Russian soldiers that had controlled the outskirts of Kharkiv since the invasion began, the Ukrainians are putting themselves within striking distance of the main Russian offensive force farther south's rear supply lines. "Ukrainians are rapidly approaching the Russian border. As a result, all of Russia's early achievements in northeast Ukraine are rapidly eroding "RUSI, a London-based research tank, said Neil Melvin.

CHALLENGES

        Putin pushed Russians to keep fighting at a Red Square military parade commemorating the conclusion of World War II on Monday, but provided no indication of his future approach. Russia's main army has been attempting to encircle Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbas, utilizing the city of Izyum south of Kharkiv as a base, since it was forced to abandon an attack on the capital Kyiv at the end of March. So far, Ukrainian forces have mostly resisted attacks from three directions.

        However, by pushing back near Kharkiv, Ukraine may force Russia to focus on defending its own extensive supply lines to Izyum. According to Western military analysts, the counter-attack is already sapping Russia's advance. 

        "Our assessment is that, as a result of what happened in Kharkiv, they're (Russians) having to pull some forces away from the axes leading to control of the Donbas region, and it just underscores the challenges they face," said retired US General Jack Keane, now chairman of the Institute for the Study of War think tank.

        Russian soldiers pounded the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol in the south, attempting to take the final bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the destroyed city, where Ukraine claims tens of thousands of civilians have perished during the Russian siege of two months.

        Hundreds of citizens have been evacuated from the steelworks in recent days, but an assistant to Mariupol Mayor Petro Andryushchenko claims that at least 100 remain.

        In a social media post, Ukraine's Azov Regiment reported that 34 Russian aircraft had flown over the plant in the previous 24 hours, including eight strategic bomber flights. The factory had come under assault from the Russian navy, as well as tanks, artillery, and rockets, according to the report. The incident was not confirmed by Reuters.

        After seven Russian missiles damaged a commercial center and depot in Odesa on Monday, firefighters fought fires until the early hours of Tuesday. Ukraine's armed forces say one person was killed and five others were injured. Meetings between European Council President Charles Michel and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal were disrupted by missile attacks.

        Ukraine's military forces said they shot down three planes and damaged 12 Russian tanks and 19 armored vehicles in the Donbas on Tuesday. On Tuesday, three citizens were murdered and three others were injured, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, regional governor for the Donetsk region of Donbas.

        According to the United Nations, the number of Ukrainians who have fled their nation since Russia's invasion on February 24 is reaching 6 million, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock traveled to Ukraine and inspected Bucha, a district north of Kyiv where Russian soldiers abandoned hundreds of civilian dead when they fled in early April. She stated that the killers must be brought to justice.

        "We owe that to the victims," she stated. "And these victims, as you can sense so strongly here, these victims might have been us." Western nations have imposed broad sanctions on Moscow and are working to prohibit or phase out the use of Russian energy.

        Ukraine, which has remained a major transit point for Russian gas to Europe despite the invasion, announced on Tuesday that it will stop using a transit point for some Russian gas bound for Europe, blaming Moscow for the decision. It will divert gas from one transit point, which is in a Russian-controlled territory, to another in a Ukraine-controlled area.

        The US and Europe have pledged to continue providing weaponry and humanitarian help to Kyiv. On Tuesday, US legislators are poised to vote on a $40 billion Ukraine aid package, which includes a big new arms package.