Ukraine Says It’s Wrapping up Preparations for Counteroffensive

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov talks to media during an Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, southwestern Germany, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov talks to media during an Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, southwestern Germany, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)
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Ukraine Says It’s Wrapping up Preparations for Counteroffensive

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov talks to media during an Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, southwestern Germany, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov talks to media during an Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, southwestern Germany, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)

Ukraine is wrapping up preparations for a counteroffensive against Russian forces and is largely ready for it to go ahead, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday.

"As soon as there is God's will, the weather and a decision by commanders, we will do it," he told an online news briefing.

He gave no date for when the counteroffensive would start but said: "Globally speaking, we are to a high percentage ready."

Kyiv hopes its planned counteroffensive will change the dynamics of the war that has raged since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago.

Russia holds swathes of Ukrainian territory in the east, south and southeast. Ukraine's military said in its latest daily report on the war that Bakhmut, a small city in the east, remained the focus of fighting.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week that Kyiv's foreign allies and partners had delivered almost all their promised combat vehicles to Ukraine.

Reznikov said Ukraine had received a lot of modern equipment, including arms that would serve as an "iron fist", and that training on some Western equipment was continuing.

Thousands of Ukrainian troops have been training in the West to use different military assets on the battlefield in a combined way.



Airlines to Bring Stranded Israelis Back Home, No Outward Flights

Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
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Airlines to Bring Stranded Israelis Back Home, No Outward Flights

Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)

Israel's airlines said on Tuesday that they had received government permission to start flights to bring back people who had been stranded abroad during the conflict with Iran.

Israel's airspace has been closed since Israel and Iran began trading attacks on Friday, stranding tens of thousands whose flights to Tel Aviv were cancelled.

El Al Airlines, Israel's flag carrier, said it expects to operate flights on Wednesday from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris to bring anyone who had a cancelled El Al ticket to Israel.

There would still be no passenger flights leaving Israel, it added. El Al has cancelled all scheduled flights through June 23.

"We understand the difficulty, uncertainty and stress experienced by El Al customers abroad who are seeking to return to Israel, as well as those whose travel plans were disrupted," it said.

"The rescue flights will be operated gradually, and therefore patience is required from El Al customers abroad. We recommend preparing for extended stays and lodging arrangements."

Smaller rival Arkia said it would bring back Israelis from Karpathos in Greece, Larnaca in Cyprus and Tivat in Montenegro.

"Arkia is prepared to operate during any time window approved by the security authorities, including Fridays and Saturdays, and is working with authorities to explore expanding the rescue operation," it said.

Israir said it would operate three flights for Israelis from Larnaca and Athens and from Varna in Bulgaria on Wednesday, and hoped to offer more soon. It has cancelled both foreign and domestic flights up to June 30.

Israel's Transportation Ministry has said there are as many as 150,000 Israelis abroad, around 50,000 of them seeking to return to Israel.

El Al said that within 90 minutes of opening a portal for passengers seeking to fly home, more than 60,000 people joined an electronic queue to register.

Cruise operator Mano Maritime, whose "Crown Iris" ship carries 2,000 passengers, said it would make two crossings from Cyprus to Israel's Mediterranean port city of Haifa.

Large numbers have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to Israel. Flights from the coastal city of Larnaca to Tel Aviv take 50 minutes, and boat crossings to the Haifa take about 15 hours.

Foreign carriers have often cancelled flights during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, leaving El Al, Arkia and Israir to fill the gap for travelers.