500 Days of War in Ukraine: Resilience to Reclaim Territory

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the war on Saturday by honoring the country's soldiers from Snake Island, the symbol of Ukraine's resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.

Speaking from the island, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to all the defenders of the country and said that reclaiming control of the island is evidence that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory.

Intense battles continued to rage Saturday in the country's east and south as Ukrainian forces pressed their attacks against Russian defenses in the initial stages of their counteroffensive. A rocket strike on the town of Lyman killed eight civilians and wounded 13 others.

Meanwhile, the eastern town of Bakhmut has seen some of the most intense fighting along the front during the last week. At the same time, Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of planning to sabotage the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest.

The head of the United Nations nuclear agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that the International Atomic Energy Agency experts had recently gained access to more of the site and found no mines there. Amid the fighting, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was shown visiting firing ranges where volunteer soldiers are being trained.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has announced that it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which President Joe Biden described as a difficult decision. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov hailed the U.S. move, saying that the delivery of cluster munitions will help the country de-occupy its territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.

As the tensions continue to swirl, NATO leaders are set to meet in Vilnius for a two-day summit next week to offer more help in modernizing Ukraine's armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day.