Ukraine says its forces are still advancing into Russian territory and are doing so in multiple ways.
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Following a surprise attack last week in Kursk, Russia’s western border province, the Russian government declared a state of emergency there.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, since Wednesday morning, troops have entered Kursk an additional 1-2 kilometers and have taken 100 Russian soldier-prisoners. However, Russia asserts that it has halted all new developments.
This is Ukraine’s deepest foray into Russia since Moscow began its full-scale assault in 2022, and it is currently in its second week.
A commander of the Chechen Akhmat special forces unit, Maj-Gen Apti Alaudinov told viewers on Russian state-controlled TV, Channel One, that Russian forces had almost “completely blocked” the Ukrainian military from advancing.
But in a video link to President Zelensky, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated Ukrainian troops were now fully in control of the Kursk border town of Sudzha.
Earlier, during a meeting with government representatives, Mr. Zelensky declared that he would think about establishing “military commandants’ offices” in the area.
Iryna Vereshchuk, the deputy prime minister of Ukraine, unveiled plans for a “security zone” in Kursk on Wednesday in an effort to fortify the country’s frontiers.
Ukraine will arrange humanitarian help for Russian civilians inside the security zone and open evacuation channels for both Russia and Ukraine, according to her Telegram post.