Trudeau makes surprise visit to Kyiv as Ukraine military steps up counteroffensive against Russia

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday as the Ukrainian military stepped up its long-anticipated counteroffensive to drive the Russian army out of occupied eastern and southern regions of the battered country.

Trudeau arrived in the Ukrainian capital as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government struggled to assess the damage and mount further downstream evacuations following the destruction of the giant Nova Kakhovka dam. The prime minister is in Ukraine with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Both Kyiv and Moscow blame each other for the collapse, which U.S. intelligence agencies and a Norwegian research foundation — citing seismic data — said on Friday was caused by some kind of explosion.

Trudeau's trip to Ukraine was planned under a strict news blackout.

It's taken him away from Ottawa as the political crisis over alleged Chinese foreign interference in the last two federal elections took a dramatic turn with the abrupt resignation of special rapporteur and former governor general David Johnston. 

It also came after a week of intense efforts to squelch raging wildfires in Quebec and elsewhere that have reduced air quality for tens of millions of people in Canada and the U.S. 

In Kyiv, Trudeau started his visit by attending a sombre wreath-laying at the Wall of Remembrance, a unique, deeply personal collection of photos and inscriptions marking those who've fallen in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Before the Canadian delegation's arrival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed the prime ministers of Japan and the Netherlands on the rescue operations in the south and what kind of humanitarian assistance is needed.

They also spoke about further defence co-operation, Zelenskyy said in his nighttime address to his people.

He made no direct reference to the counteroffensive, which many Western intelligence agencies and media have said is underway.

Zelenskyy addressed his comments to the soldiers.

"We see your heroism, and we are grateful to you for every minute of your life — a life that is truly the life of Ukraine," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears convinced the counteroffensive is underway. He made reference to it Friday in a video published on his Telegram channel.

"We can definitely state that this Ukrainian offensive has begun," he said.