Ukraine is making steady progress in the counteroffensive it launched this month and has reclaimed several towns in the southeast, but its troops are taking heavy losses as they try to plow through entrenched Russian lines.
Even with the losses, the incremental progress is defying expectations, given that Russia has had months to fortify its defenses across the 600-mile front.
The success so far, even in the early stages of what is likely a long campaign, is a good sign for Ukraine. Kyiv is facing pressure to retake swaths of territory in order to keep up support from western allies and chasten Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News this week the ongoing operation is “difficult” but “generally positive,” while also underscoring the immense stakes of the campaign.
“For Russia, to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say actually means losing the war,” Zelensky said.