Ukrainian troops are exerting pressure near Kursk in western Russia. But what is the Ukrainians’ strategic calculation? President Zelenskyj has now revealed this.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described his troops’ offensive across the border into the western Russian region of Kursk as a security measure. The areas captured there so far are regions from which Russian forces have repeatedly attacked the eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy. Around 2,100 attacks have been registered there since the beginning of June alone. “That is why our operations are purely a security issue for Ukraine, to free the border from Russian military,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
Kursk will become a symbol of the beginning and end of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Selensky, referring to the disaster that occurred when Russia’s most modern nuclear submarine, the Kursk, sank in August 2000 with 118 crew members on board. “24 years ago there was the Kursk disaster, which was the symbolic beginning of his rule; now we are seeing the end of it – and it is Kursk again.”
Ukrainian commander reports territorial gain
The Ukrainian armed forces say they have already made significant territorial gains in their advance into Russian territory. Around 1,000 square kilometers are already under Ukrainian control, said Commander-in-Chief Oleksander Syrskyj at a meeting of the Stavka, the high command in Kyiv. The beginning of the meeting and Syrskyj’s words were broadcast by Zelenskyj on Platform X.
The acting governor of the Kursk region had previously reported territorial losses. According to him, the Ukrainian troops advanced about 12 kilometers across a width of 40 kilometers, which corresponds to about half the number of square kilometers given by Syrskyj. The Russian military blog “Rybar” spoke of heavy fighting and a partially confusing situation. The information from both sides could not initially be independently verified.
Zelenskyy instructed Ukraine’s Interior Ministry and the armed forces to draw up a humanitarian plan for the area of operations in western Russia. According to Russian sources, not all civilians were evacuated from the combat zone.
Russia complains about use of Western weapons
The Russian military accused Ukraine of using heavy weapons from Western supplies in the battle for the Kursk region. In addition to artillery and rocket launchers, the Ukrainian side also uses armored vehicles that Kiev received from Western partners. However, the Ukrainian armed forces have not placed any restrictions on the use of these weapons by their Western partners.
Zelensky once again underlined how important the permission he hoped for to use the long-range weapons supplied by the West against targets in Russia was. “We need the appropriate permissions from our partners to use long-range weapons,” Zelensky stressed. “It is only fair to destroy the Russian terrorists where they are, where they launch their attacks – Russian military airfields, Russian logistics.” Russia must be forced to make peace if Kremlin leader Putin is so keen to keep fighting.
Kiev has been trying for weeks to obtain permission to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia. So far, the Ukrainian armed forces have only been able to use drones of their own production for such attacks – with significantly lower explosive power.
Videos show dark smoke at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
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Beyond Kursk: Heavy fighting in Donbass
Far away from the war in the western Russian region of Kursk, Russian troops have continued their attacks around the Donbass in eastern Ukraine. They once again tried to break through the Ukrainian positions around Toretsk and Pokrovsk, the General Staff in Kiev announced in its evening situation report. At Toretsk, the Russian ground troops were also supported by a dozen air strikes.
Heavy fighting took place between Russian attackers and Ukrainian defenders around Pokrovsk. In total, around 25 advances by Russian units were registered during the day, the majority of which were repulsed. “The enemy losses are still being determined,” said the General Staff. According to the Russians, several Ukrainian settlements were captured during the fighting. This information could not be independently verified either.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
