Ukraine surprised Moscow by sending thousands of troops into western Russia’s Kursk region last week, part of a surprise offensive that has resulted in Ukraine’s biggest battlefield victory since 2022 after months of being outgunned.

Kyiv's reports contradict Russian reports, with Major General Apti Alaudinov claiming that Ukrainian forces were being stopped from advancing, and the Russian Defense Ministry claiming that attacks on villages 26 to 28 kilometers from the border had been repelled.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv forces had captured many Russian prisoners of war and could exchange prisoners - Ukrainian servicemen. He described the "exchange fund" as growing.

"Despite the intense and harsh fighting, our forces continue to gain victories in the Kursk region, and our 'exchange fund' is growing larger and larger. 74 settlements have come under Ukrainian control."

In a video, the Ukrainian leader asked his top commander, Oleksandr Syrskiy, to begin formulating the next “crucial step” of the operation.

“Everything is going according to plan,” Mr. Syrskiy said, without providing any further information.

Kyiv has not revealed many details about its plans, in stark contrast to the government’s counteroffensive over the past year, which was trumpeted for months but ultimately failed to penetrate Russia’s formidable defenses.

A week after the surprise offensive began, Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov called on residents to remain calm and resilient.

"I'll be blunt: The crisis is not over."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to take "adequate" action against Ukraine and accused Kyiv's "Western masters" of supporting Ukraine.

At the United Nations (UN), Russia has criticized Kyiv's allies for failing to condemn the offensive.

The US asserted that this action was self-defensive and consistent with US policy, and the White House emphasized that it did not participate in any planning or preparation activities for this campaign.

Ukraine insists the operation is self-defensive, saying its forces have taken control of an area that Russia has used to launch more than 2,000 cross-border air strikes since June.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said: "... Ukraine does not want to occupy the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our compatriots."

Non-stop

Russian forces have been advancing for months on multiple battlefields in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, using their numerical advantage to gradually advance toward cities under Kyiv's control such as the logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

“It is important to emphasize that the operation (in Kursk)… supports the front line because it prevents Russia from sending more troops to Donetsk, which complicates military logistics in the area,” Mr. Tykhyi said.

There is no sign of a slowdown in Ukraine's east, where Kyiv forces said they had received reports of the highest number of battles with Russia in a single day in Pokrovsk since the Kursk operation began.

Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said he had spotted Russian forces moving from the south to other areas, possibly including Kursk, this week.

However, he said the number of attacks had not decreased and it was too early to draw conclusions.

During a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said Russia had sent troops from the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad to reinforce Kursk.

Pasi Paroinen, an analyst at Black Bird Group, said on Monday that Russia had largely relied on neighboring military units to push back Ukrainian forces.

“Russia has enough reserve troops to not be forced to weaken the ‘main’ forces currently pressuring Ukraine in Toretsk and Pokrovsk.”

Serhii Kuzan, president of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, a non-governmental research organization, said Ukraine's offensive was an "asymmetrical" response to Russia's war of attrition against Ukraine to exhaust its military and resources.

The Ukrainian military on Tuesday restricted freedom of movement for civilians in a 20km zone on the country's northeastern border due to "increased fighting intensity" and the presence of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

The governor of Russia's Kursk region said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had taken control of 28 settlements in an area 12 kilometers deep and 40 kilometers wide.

In his evening report, Mr. Zelenskiy asserted that Ukraine had shown it could prevail in the war, as it did in 2022, the first year of the war when its forces regained a large swath of territory.

"Now we have done the same. We have proven once again that Ukrainians are capable of achieving their goals in any circumstances, capable of defending their rights and freedoms."

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)