Ukraine's counteroffensive has begun, the Institute for the Study of War says

The Institute for the Study of War has announced that Ukraine's widely anticipated counteroffensive has begun. 

Ukrainian forces have not revealed the details of their mission. However, the think tank said it would likely consist of many undertakings at numerous locations of varying intensity and would not unfold as a single operation.

Initial setbacks are also to be expected. The main focus of Ukraine's defensive operation remains sealed to prevent Russian troops from premeditating any attacks.

This comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's military announced on Wednesday they had moved on the offensive in the eastern city of Bakhmut. 

The industrial hub has been at the forefront of Russia's war effort since the summer of 2022.

Meanwhile, a Russian strike on the centre of Kherson injured nine people, according to Ukraine's Interior Ministry. 

"Nine people were injured as a result of shelling," the ministry said on Telegram, separately specifying that it had "not received information" about any deaths.

This figure was confirmed by the regional governor, Oleksander Prokudin, who added that the casualties included "two rescue workers, a police officer, a nurse and a German volunteer."

In recent days, Ukrainians have accused the Russian army of striking Kherson, just as the authorities evacuated thousands of civilians from flooded areas following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam upstream on the Dnieper River.

Moscow-installed officials on the other hand claimed that the Ukrainian army targeted evacuating civilians and killed two earlier on Thursday.