"Russia fortifies Crimea with 45-mile-long trench as attacks intensify"

Russian forces have dug a 45-mile-long trench in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region to thwart Kyiv's looming counteroffensive, according to new satellite images. The trench represents almost one-third of the length of the region, which Putin illegally annexed last fall. Meanwhile, Russian forces have intensified attacks on front-line cities in the east, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka, with airstrikes and artillery barrages. Ukraine has been building up its stocks of weaponry supplied by its Western allies in preparation for a counteroffensive that would force the invaders out of Ukraine after more than 13 months of fighting.