Your Thursday Briefing: Ukraine launches full offensive

Good morning. We’re covering an aggressive push in Ukraine’s counteroffensive and a political dynasty forming in Cambodia.

‘The big test’ for Ukraine

Two U.S. officials said that the main thrust of Ukraine’s counteroffensive is now underway in the southeast. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported a “massive” assault in the region.

“This is the big test,” said one senior U.S. official, who spoke to our colleagues on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Thousands of reinforcements are pouring into the battle after nearly two months of halting fighting. Ukraine seems to be bringing in troops who were, until now, held in reserve. Many were trained and equipped by the West. A Russian-appointed official tallied about 100 armored vehicles, including German-made Leopards and U.S.-made Bradleys.

Route: Ukrainian officials have told U.S. officials that the enlarged force would try to advance south through Russia’s minefields and other fortifications toward the coast.

Goal: Ukraine wants to sever the so-called land bridge between Russian-occupied Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula — or at least get far enough to strike it with artillery.

Russia: Mostly on the defensive, Moscow’s military is attacking fiercely in Ukraine’s northeast.

Other updates:

• British intelligence warned that Russia was moving to enforce a blockade against Ukraine after withdrawing from the grain deal.
• Attacks on Odesa, a port city, have escalated after Western officials said Russia might start attacking civilian ships in the Black Sea.

• President Vladimir Putin will host African leaders at a summit today, where they intend to discuss the fate of the grain deal and Wagner fighters.

Cambodia’s leader said he will hand power to his son

Prime Minister Hun Sen said he would resign next month and hand power to his eldest son, Gen. Hun Manet, confirming a promise made in June. Hun Sen has explicitly said that he wants to extend his family’s grip on Cambodia, which has slid sharply toward authoritarianism under his rule.

Hun Sen, 70, made the announcement in a televised address, three days after his political party had declared victory in stage-managed parliamentary elections. His government had previously suppressed all meaningful opposition.

A Japanese pop star comes out

Onstage in Tokyo last night, Shinjiro Atae, a J-pop idol formerly of the band AAA, revealed what he called “the challenge of my life”: He is gay.

Such an announcement is extremely unusual in Japan, the only G7 country that has not legalized same-sex unions. “I don’t want people to struggle like me,” he said.

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THE LATEST NEWS

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• The leader of Fiji declined an invitation to meet Xi Jinping in China, saying he tripped and fell. One analyst called it “very convenient.”
• Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in the Philippines, causing to flooding.

• The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to their highest level in 22 years.

• A judge delayed a deal that would have let Hunter Biden plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges to avoid prosecution on a gun charge.

• Melania Trump has mostly stayed out of sight while her husband fights to return to the White House and faces increasing legal peril.

• The fate of the president in Niger was unclear after soldiers attempted a mutiny.
• Israel’s Supreme Court said it would begin to review the judicial overhaul in September, setting the stage for renewed social turmoil if the judges overturn it.
• A British jury found the actor Kevin Spacey not guilty of nine counts of sexual assault.

• After wins, Japan and Spain head to a showdown next week. Canada beat Ireland.
• The scrappiest of them all: Why our columnist Kurt Streeter is rooting for Haiti.
• What to expect from a U.S.-Netherlands face-off.

Along the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, soldiers stand ready to engage, families cope with decades of separation and people farm and fish. As tourists look on, dreams of reconciliation are slowly fading into the distance.

From Opinion: Culturally, economically and ideologically, North and South Korea are drifting further and further apart, a South Korean journalist writes.

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ARTS AND IDEAS

Remembering Sinead O’Connor

The Irish singer-songwriter, who has died at age 56, was best known for her strong, evocative voice. She gained fame with her rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” then caused an uproar two years later by ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live.”

O’Connor released 10 studio albums, beginning with the alternative hit “The Lion and the Cobra” in 1987 and reaching superstardom with the 1990 album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.” She rarely shrank from controversy, was outspoken about her political and social views and, later in her career, was open about her struggles with mental health.

“I’m not a pop star,” O’Connor wrote in her memoir, “I’m just a troubled soul who needs to scream into mikes now and then.”

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

These lemon bars are “incredibly delicious,” a reader writes.

Brew instant coffee that actually tastes good.

Take a literary tour through Maine.

How swimming helps a writer manage chronic illness.

Play the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Henna, for one (three letters).

Here are the Wordle and the Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — Amelia and Natasha

P.S. Can you speak bird? Take our quiz.

“The Daily” is about Hunter Biden’s court appearance.

Thank you to everyone who has written to us! We love hearing your ideas: briefing@nytimes.com.

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