Ukrainian troops and Russian reinforcements appeared to be gearing up for a major confrontation in the villages and towns of western Russia in the wake of a surprising Ukrainian offensive in the region.
The Ukrainian forces surged into Russia's Kursk region, just across the border from Ukraine, catching the Russians by surprise and encountering limited resistance in the first few days of the campaign, which began last Tuesday. The Ukrainian advances slowed over the weekend, though it was not clear whether the Ukrainians were meeting greater resistance or simply wanted to consolidate gains they've already made.
In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he was receiving regular updates on the operation that's designed to "push the war into the aggressor's territory."
The president added that the offensive is "exactly the kind of pressure that is needed — pressure on the aggressor."
These were Zelenskyy's most explicit remarks about the offensive, which tight-lipped Ukrainian officials had refused to even acknowledge for the first few days.
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