Ukraine launches counteroffensive, retakes Bakhmut from Russian control.

The Ukrainian army claims to be gaining ground in the Bakhmut area, the "epicenter" of hostilities, amid Russian claims that the long-awaited Ukraine counteroffensive may be underway. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Monday that Ukraine forces had begun a “large-scale offensive on five sectors of the front in the southern Donetsk area.” Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department has sanctioned seven members of a Russian intelligence-linked group for their role in Russia's destabilization campaign in Moldova.