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The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says speed is of the essence in the counter-offensive under way to take back territory from Russian forces - and is urging Western nations to bolster military aid to his country. Ukrainian forces have launched counter-offensives in the south as well as the north-east, and their most dramatic progress has come this month in the northern Kharkiv region. In response, on Monday, pro-Moscow officials in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics called urgent referendums on the regions becoming part of Russia. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Newsday heard from Ivan Verstyuk, an analyst and editor at news website The New Voice of Ukraine, on whether he thought Ukrainian battlefield successes could continue. "It's really a bad sign that Russia is... undermining Ukraine's electricity infrastructure, especially power plants. That means we do need much better air defence systems. Russian missiles can cover the whole terrain of Ukraine. We also need artillery... especially long range... and fast tanks." (Pic: Ukrainian soldiers aboard a military vehicle near the newly retaken town of Izium, in Kharkiv; Credit: Reuters)