Ukrainian troops are facing down a ferocious Russian counteroffensive in Kursk as Putin seeks to take back Russian land before any talks.

Since the beginning of Saturday, 132 combat engagements have occurred at the frontline. Russian forces are concentrating their main offensive efforts in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions, and the situation there remains tense,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has deployed nearly 50,000 troops to Kursk, the southern Russian region where Kyiv launched its surprise counteroffensive in the summer.