Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted for the first time that his country’s military is conducting a cross-border offensive within Russia.
The Ukrainian military is making progress in its campaign to “extend the war to the territory of the aggressor,” Zelensky said in his evening speech late Saturday.
“Ukraine is proving that it really knows how to restore justice and is providing exactly the kind of pressure that is needed – pressure on the aggressor,” he added.
MORE: Ukraine continues massive invasion of Russia, reports of progress amid heavy fighting
The Ukrainian attack began last week and appeared to be a large-scale offensive operation involving at least two Ukrainian brigades.
Ukrainian troops apparently captured a number of settlements in the Kursk border area in the first few days of their advance and had advanced about 14 kilometers into Russia’s interior by Wednesday. A blog closely linked to the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that Ukrainian tank units had been spotted about 30 kilometers behind the Russian border.
On Saturday, Zelensky thanked “every unit of our defense forces that makes this possible.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said there had been heavy losses among the Ukrainian armed forces.
The Ukrainian military has lost more than 1,100 soldiers and over 100 armored vehicles, including 22 tanks, since the attack began, Russia said. Ten of these tanks were destroyed in just 24 hours of fighting, the ministry said on Saturday.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, more Russian conscripts have been deployed to the region in recent days, including some who were transferred from front-line positions elsewhere.
“Russian forces appear to be better able to defend themselves against Ukrainian attacks following the arrival of additional conscripts and more combat-ready forces from the front-line areas in Ukraine,” the think tank said on Saturday.
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell and Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.
Zelensky admits he is moving into Russia to ‘put pressure on the aggressor’ – originally published on abcnews.go.com
