“A“I just spoke with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky and there have been advances of our troops in the Kursk region. From one to three kilometers. We have taken control of two more villages,” Zelensky announced in his daily message, also indicating that fighting is underway “in another village.”
Ukrainian forces have been carrying out an unprecedented ground offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk since August 6, while also trying to contain advances by Moscow troops in the eastern province of Donetsk.
In the Russian border region, Kyiv already claims control over more than 90 localities.
On Saturday, during a press conference, Zelensky had said that several objectives of the “complicated” operation in Kursk could not be revealed publicly so as not to compromise its success, but that it was evolving “in a very positive way”.
“Firstly, the exchange fund (of prisoners) is something that can be talked about publicly. It has been covered, which is positive. Secondly, there is the suspension of Russian operations in the north, a preemptive strike, and our operation fulfilled that task,” he said.
Another objective, he stressed, is to show the world “the reality” of who Russian President Vladimir Putin is, who “does not think about how to protect his people”, but about expanding his control over Ukrainian territories.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, under the pretext of protecting pro-Russian separatist minorities in the east and “denazifying” the neighboring country, independent since 1991 – after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union – and which has been moving away from Moscow’s sphere of influence and closer to Europe and the West.
The war in Ukraine has already left tens of thousands dead on both sides, and recent months have seen large-scale Russian air strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kyiv’s forces have targeted targets on Russian territory near the border and on the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014.
Read Also: Zelensky rejects Kursk as a card to play in possible negotiations
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2620968/zelensky-reivindica-avancos-na-regiao-russa-de-kursk
