Ukraine’s army chief claimed that Kyiv’s forces have gained control of nearly 1,300 square kilometers of Russia’s Kursk region during its three-week incursion
Kyiv’s forces have captured 594 Russian prisoners it hopes to use in exchange for Ukrainians held by Russia.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Ukrainian advance was drawing Russian troops from elsewhere, with Moscow attempting “to create a ring of defense around our offensive group of troops and plan counteroffensive actions.”
Syrskyi’s assessment of the Ukrainian advance came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia targeted Ukraine overnight with 81 more drone attacks, along with cruise and ballistic missiles, the day after launching about 200 aerial assaults aimed chiefly at Ukrainian power plants and other infrastructure.
Five people were reported killed and 16 injured in the new attacks.
Zelenskyy wrote on the X media platform, “We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished.”
The Kursk operation, the largest incursion into Russia since World War II, has forced about 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes.
Russia has sent reinforcements into the region, but it was not clear to what extent these movements might be weakening Russia’s positions in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s forces have been gaining ground.
