now into its third week has yet to produce the kind of dramatic results many, both here in ukraine and in the west were hoping for. boris. a difficult pace of the counteroffensive even as we re seeing instability within russia s borders. ben wedeman from eastern ukraine, thank you so much. still to come after the break, america s front line of missile defense is overworked and undermanned. we have details on the strained conditions of the army s air defense and efforts to address it next. a quick programming note to share with you. cnn s july fourth special returns with an all-star lineup celebrating spectacular performances with dana bash and myself. that s live july 4th at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn.