Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to retaliate after Ukraine’s military seized hundreds of square miles of Russian territory in a surprise offensive. On Monday, Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of “waging war” against Russia using Ukrainians and accused Ukraine’s army of committing war crimes. The governor of Russia’s Kursk region said the offensive had so far killed 12 civilians while displacing more than 120,000 others. Some evacuees said they barely escaped with their lives.

Anna Erokhina: “There was shelling. How do you call them? Shells. Shells were falling quite close, three meters from the house. And we were standing in the hallway like this, and we were appealing to God, 'Please don't let them hit the house. We have children sleeping here.’”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the offensive is aimed at forcing Russia to negotiate for peace. He added, “Russia brought war to others, and now it is coming home.” Zelensky’s comments came after a meeting with a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators in Kyiv. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called Ukraine’s surprise offensive “bold, brilliant and beautiful,” while Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal urged President Biden to lift all restrictions on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made weapons.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal: “We want to convey to the administration a message that it should provide more flexibility and authority to Ukraine in using the weapons that have been provided to strike deeper behind the lines that exist right now. There are limits and issues of permission. We hope to cut through them.”