Ukraine says its troops are advancing deeper into Russia’s Kursk region

Ukraine said its major cross-border assault had advanced one to two kilometers (0.6-1.2 miles) in Russia’s Kursk region since the start of Wednesday and that its troops had finished clearing the Russian town of Sudzha of Moscow’s forces.

Kyiv blindsided Moscow by pouring thousands of troops into the western Russian region of Kursk last week. The surprise operation has given Ukraine its biggest battlefield gains since 2022 after months on the backfoot.

In a video posted on his Telegram account, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shown being briefed by his top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, by video link.

“We continue to advance further in Kursk region. From one to two kilometres in various areas since the start of the day. And more than 100 Russian prisoners of war in the same period,” Zelenskiy wrote in a statement published alongside the video.

Kyiv says it has taken control of more than 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of territory so far.

Syrskiy said the Russian border town of Sudzha was fully under Ukrainian control.

“The search and destruction of the enemy in the settlement of Sudzha has been completed,” he said in the video.

NBC News was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.

Russia on August 11 acknowledged Ukrainian troops had pierced deep into the Kursk border region in an offensive that a top official in Ukraine said aimed to "destabilise" Russia and "stretch" its forces.
Ukrainian servicemen drive a Soviet-made tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, earlier this week.Roman Pilipey / AFP – Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to hit back at Ukraine with a “worthy response” and accused Kyiv’s “Western masters” of helping Ukraine.

President Joe Biden said that U.S. officials were in constant touch with Ukraine over the invasion of Russia, which he said had “created a real dilemma” for Putin, who ordered thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022.

The White House said Ukraine did not provide advance notice of its incursion and the United States had no involvement in the operation, though Russian officials have suggested Ukraine’s Western backers must have known of the attack.

A U.S. official said the goal of the Kursk incursion appeared to be to force Russia to pull troops out of Ukraine to defend Russian territory against the cross-border assault.

The Ukrainian assault on Russia, the biggest by a foreign force since World War Two, has dramatically changed the narrative around the war. Russia had been advancing since the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive to make any major gains against Moscow’s forces.

Putin said on Monday that Ukraine “with the help of its Western masters” was aiming to improve Kyiv’s negotiating position ahead of possible peace talks and to slow the advance of Russian forces.

But in a sign the attack is hardening the Kremlin’s position, Putin questioned what negotiations there could be with an enemy he accused of firing indiscriminately at Russian civilians and nuclear facilities.

The Russian ruble weakened against the dollar on Wednesday, and has lost 8.5% since the start of the Ukrainian attack on Aug. 6.

Russian officials say Ukraine is trying to show its Western backers that it can still muster major military operations just as pressure mounts on both Kyiv and Moscow to agree to talk about halting the war.

Russia on August 11, 2024 acknowledged Ukrainian troops had pierced deep into the Kursk border region in an offensive that a top official in Ukraine said aimed to "destabilise" Russia and "stretch" its forces.
Ukrainian military drone operators assemble a Poseidon reconnaissance drone near the border with Russia.ROMAN PILIPEY Roman Pilipey / AFP – Getty Images
Image:
Russian soldiers fire missiles towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location.Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / AP

By bringing the war to Russia, Ukraine has forced nearly 200,000 Russians to evacuate border regions near the site of the World War Two battle of Kursk, where in 1943 the Red Army defeated Nazi forces in one of the world’s biggest ever battles.

The governor of Russia’s border region of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, declared a regionwide state of emergency on Wednesday, citing continued attacks by Ukrainian forces.

“The situation in the Belgorod region continues to be extremely difficult and tense,” Gladkov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

Daily shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces had destroyed houses, killing and wounding civilians, he added.

The offensive brings risks for Kyiv: Ukraine may leave other parts of the front exposed by dedicating forces to fighting in Russian sovereign territory. Russia controls 18% of Ukrainian territory and has been advancing in recent months.

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

New AI Discovery: The Hidden Factors Behind Faster Brain Aging

Scientists used AI to estimate the brain age of 739 healthy seniors and found that lifestyle and health conditions impact brain aging. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have used an AI tool to estimate the biological age of brains from MRI scans of 70-year-olds. Their analysis revealed that fa Source link

Arcadia Councilmember Eileen Wang at City Hall.

Inside China’s intelligence operation in L.A. County

It was no secret that authorities believed the Chinese government intended to infiltrate state and local governments across America. For years, the FBI has warned cities and police agencies about foreign actors potentially trying to influence politics. Two years ago, U.S. intelligence officials issued a bulletin stating that the Chinese were collecting information about local

Inside Jamie Foxx’s health conscious lifestyle after stroke

Jamie Foxx had a prolonged hospital stay earlier this year after suffering stroke Jamie Foxx is embracing life after suffering a stroke this year. Since his brain bleed and stroke earlier this year, Foxx has a new appreciation for life and takes care of his health more than ever. “He’ll never take a second of

Housing inventory is down, except in pandemic hotspots

The COVID-19 pandemic turned previously sleepy cities into boomtowns. Expanded or permanent work-from-home policies gave people more flexibility in where to live, and those in uber-expensive markets like San Francisco and Manhattan took advantage by moving to areas where they could get more space for less money. This created incredibly competitive housing markets in smaller cities

Covid Map Shows Latest Rates Across U.S. Before Christmas

As families prepare to gather for the holidays, a new COVID-19 map reveals the latest infection rates across the United States. What’s New For the week ending December 14, 5.6 percent of tests nationwide came back positive, up from 5 percent the previous week. Wyoming, Utah, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Colorado, as well

Gift Bearing Huggy Bear Cookies

Just in time for this merry season, we present our latest Christmas cookie, our Gift Bearing Huggy Bear Cookies!  This is one of the slew of Christmas cookies we’ve made this year and my little girl and I think it’s the cutiest of the lot!  Little animal cookies bearing wee gifts in their arms are

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x