Ready, steady, slow: Ukraine’s bid for Kherson

The long-trailed counter-offensive to retake the Russian-occupied regional powerhouse and symbolically powerful provincial capital has begun. But Ukraine’s forces are in no hurry. Visa and Mastercard are two of the world’s most profitable companies; we look at efforts to break their iron grip on the payments market. And the blue-blooded horseshoe crabs that are needlessly bled in their millions.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer