Russia-Ukraine live news: Kyiv starts counteroffensive in south

Folks stand close to a crater left by an evening Russian army strike, as Russia's assault on Ukraine continues, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine August 27 [File: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Reuters]

• Ukraine broadcasts the beginning of a long-awaited counteroffensive to retake territory within the south seized by Russian forces since their invasion six months in the past, a transfer reflecting Kyiv’s rising confidence as Western army assist flows in.
• Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis, was hit with cluster munitions, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov has reported.