Ukrainian and Russian troops prepare for decisive battle in western Russia: NPR

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian troops and Russian reinforcements appeared to be preparing for a major confrontation in the region as the country’s military launched a sudden offensive against villages and towns in western Russia.

Ukrainian troops caught the Russians off guard with a massive offensive into the Kursk region near the Russian border, and faced limited resistance in the first days of the campaign that began last Tuesday. The pace of the offensive slowed over the weekend, but it was unclear whether Ukrainian troops were facing greater resistance or simply trying to consolidate gains already made.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address late Saturday that he was receiving regular updates on the operation, which was aimed at “pushing the war into the territory of the aggressor.”

The president added that the offensive “is exactly the pressure we need — pressure on the aggressor.”

It was Zelenskiy’s most explicit comment on the offensive, which tight-lipped Ukrainian officials refused to even acknowledge in the first few days.

Ukrainian soldiers make social media posts inside Russia

The Ukrainians still haven’t provided details, but some information has begun to emerge. Ukrainian troops have begun posting messages on social media inside Russia. They show themselves tearing down Russian flags in captured villages or standing in front of road signs indicating that they have entered towns.

In Russia, military and other security officials briefly signaled their intention to quickly push back the Ukrainians and retake Russia’s border. Russian television showed convoys of tanks and armored vehicles moving into the Kursk region.

However, many Russian military blogs remained critical of Russia’s response, calling it slow and confusing.

As Ukrainian troops moved into Kursk, tens of thousands of Russian civilians fled, with some complaining on social media that the Russian government had failed to warn them or organize their evacuation. Many said they fled their homes at short notice, taking only a few belongings and throwing them into their cars.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the displaced people would receive 10,000 rubles, equivalent to $115 at current exchange rates.

Another Battle of Kursk

The Ukrainian operation has been described as the first time a foreign country has taken control of part of Russian or Soviet territory since Nazi Germany invaded during World War II. That war featured a massive battle between Nazi German and Soviet forces at Kursk, which historians call the largest tank battle ever fought and one of the largest battles of the war. Soviet forces ultimately prevailed after more than a month of fighting in July and August 1943, and the battle is seen as key to defeating the Nazis.

Today, the opposing forces at Kursk are much smaller, but the Ukrainian offensive has changed the dynamics of the war.

Russia has been on the offensive for months, steadily advancing into the eastern Donbass region and capturing several villages. Russian troops have suffered heavy casualties in the ground assault.

When Russia captured the villages, most of them were in ruins and military analysts said they had no strategic value. Still, Russia’s advance reflects Ukraine’s advantage in troops and firepower, which it has struggled to overcome throughout the war.

Ukraine’s goals remain unclear

The surprise Ukrainian offensive boosted Ukrainian morale and dealt Russia an unexpected setback on its own territory, once again demonstrating Ukraine’s ability to take actions that catch Russia by surprise.

“Ukraine still has the initiative and the momentum for this operation,” said Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “But its objectives are not clear. If Ukraine is more successful than expected, then they will become more ambitious. Conversely, if the operation does not go well, then they may become more conservative and narrow their objectives.”

He stressed that Ukraine took great risks in the operation because its forces were already stretched thin, especially in the main battlefront in the east of the country.

“If Ukraine has trouble holding its prepared defenses on its own territory, how will it hold Kursk on Russian territory?” said Kofman, who regularly visits the Ukrainian front lines, most recently in June. “How will Ukraine deal with the expansion of the territory it has to defend, in addition to the front lines that are currently being pushed back?”

The Biden administration said Ukraine did not give Russia advance notice of its invasion. The U.S. government, wary of actions that could lead to escalation or a wider war, did not object to the Ukrainian offensive but said it wanted to learn more about Ukraine’s intentions.

At the same time, Russia has not relaxed its bombing of Ukrainian cities, killing more than 20 Ukrainian civilians in recent days.

Ukraine’s air force said Sunday it had shot down 57 drones that Russia had launched at about a dozen different cities overnight, with only a few of them being shot down. Russia also fired four large North Korean-made missiles. Ukraine said those missiles were also hit in flight, but the debris was still dangerous.

A 35-year-old man and his 4-year-old son were killed when debris from a missile hit their apartment building on the outskirts of the capital, Kiev, officials said. They were among eight Ukrainian civilians killed in various attacks on Saturday and Sunday.

A Russian missile strike on Friday on a supermarket in the eastern town of Kostiandinivka caused a fire, killed 14 people and injured dozens, officials added.