On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that Ukrainian forces are engaged in an unexpected offensive in Russia's Kursk region. This marks Ukraine's largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began, resulting in intense battles over the past six days and prompting Russia to reinforce its southwestern areas. In response, Russia has implemented a sweeping security regime in three border regions, and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, has increased its troop presence along its border with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of airspace violations.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy mentioned discussions with top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi about the ongoing operation, pledging to restore justice following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelenskiy stated, "Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the front lines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor's territory. Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor."

Russia's defense ministry reported on Sunday that it destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones and four Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles overnight in the Kursk region, as well as 18 drones in other Russian regions frequently targeted by Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Ukrainian offensive as a significant provocation, with military analysts noting it caught the Kremlin off guard.

Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, stated on Wednesday that the attacks had been halted, although Ukrainian forces have not been pushed back over the border. Russian military bloggers have claimed the situation has stabilized after reinforcements arrived, but Ukraine is reportedly building up its forces rapidly.

Early Sunday, Kursk officials reported 13 injuries in the city after debris from a destroyed Ukrainian missile hit a nine-story residential building. The extent of further damage is unclear, as Moscow and Kyiv typically do not disclose damage details unless there are injuries or residential building damage. Kursk's acting governor, Alexei Smirnov, ordered the acceleration of civilian evacuations in at-risk areas, with Russia's TASS state news agency reporting over 76,000 evacuations as of Saturday.

Both Kyiv and Moscow deny targeting civilians, although the war has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of Ukrainians displaced, with no end in sight. Russian military bloggers report fighting up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) inside the Kursk region, questioning Ukraine's ability to penetrate the area so easily.

Following a Russian air attack on the Kyiv region that killed a father and his 4-year-old son, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, vowed more attacks on Russian military infrastructure, citing Moscow's refusal to accept "other arguments." Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova appealed to the United Nations to condemn Ukraine's actions in Kursk, urging measures to prevent "gross mass violations of human rights."

Ukrainian officials reported that a 4-year-old boy and his 35-year-old father were killed in a Russian air strike outside Kyiv, with three others, including a teenage boy, wounded in the attack east of the capital. Zelenskiy claimed that a North Korean-made missile was involved in the attack, which Ukrainian emergency services said resulted from debris from a downed Russian missile hitting the victims' home in the Brovary district. Footage from Ukraine's State Emergency Service showed workers recovering a child's body from the debris.

Zelenskiy stated, "According to preliminary information, the Russians used a North Korean missile in this attack — yet another deliberate terrorist strike against Ukraine," while experts continue to examine the weapon. Kyiv's air force reported that Russia launched 57 Iranian-made attack drones across Ukraine, 53 of which were intercepted by air defenses, and fired four North Korean-made KN-23 missiles, without specifying the fate of the other three. Reuters could not independently verify these reports.

In his statement, Zelenskiy called for a comprehensive air defense shield from Ukraine's allies and the authorization to strike deep within Russia using Western-supplied weapons. There was no immediate response from Russia, which denies targeting civilians but has attacked critical infrastructure beyond the front lines of its 29-month-old invasion that has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of Ukrainians displaced.