Ukraine goes on offense in Russia's Kursk region
A top adviser to President Zelenskyy said "the Russians are getting what they deserve"


What happened
Ukraine launched a new offensive in Russia's Kursk region Sunday, Moscow and Kyiv said. Ukrainian forces had captured about 500 square miles of the western Russian province in a surprise incursion in August, but Russian and North Korean troops are believed to have retaken 40-50% of that area.
Who said what
"Good news," Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, said on Telegram. "The Russians are getting what they deserve in the Kursk region." Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had repelled Ukraine's counterattack, but Russian military bloggers "indicated that Moscow's forces faced significant pressure," The Associated Press said.
What next?
Ukraine's "unexpected success in biting off and retaining a slice of Russian territory could boost its negotiating position" in possible peace talks this year, Reuters said, but the incursion also "weakened" Kyiv's "defense of its own eastern regions," where Russia is grinding out slow but steady gains.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some American skeptics of Ukraine's Kursk campaign have "changed their assessment" as "Russian casualties mounted" in the region, The New York Times said. Zelenskyy said Saturday "the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops" in fighting near one Kursk village.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Scorching hot sauces that pack a punch
The Week Recommends The best sauces to tingle your lips and add a fiery kick to your food
-
Syria’s strange post-Assad election
The Explainer Sunday’s limited vote ‘suited the phase Syria is undergoing’, says interim president
-
Why did the China spying case collapse?
Today’s Big Question Unwillingness to call China an ‘enemy’ apparently scuppered espionage trial
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sites
Speed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace plan
Speed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU party
Speed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
UK, 3 Western allies recognize Palestinian state
Speed Read Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the state of Palestine
-
Denmark’s record-setting arms purchase raises eyebrows and anxiety
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By eschewing American-made munitions for their European counterparts, the Danish government is bracing for Russian antagonism and sending a message to the West
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Poland downs Russian drones in NATO airspace
Speed Read Polish airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said