Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed today that Ukrainian military forces are operating on the territory of Russia's Kursk region, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Zelensky did so in a post on his Telegram channel, in which he praised the country's soldiers and commanders "for their steadfastness and decisive actions," without giving further details about the invasion.
He suggested Ukraine would offer humanitarian aid to the region, saying government officials had been tasked with preparing a humanitarian plan for the territory.
Earlier today, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, said that Kiev controls about 1,000 square kilometers of Russia's Kursk region, Reuters reported.
For its part, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said Russia was trying to unfairly accuse Kiev's forces of war crimes amid its continued incursion into Russia's Kursk region. In his channel in "Telegram" The SSU wrote that it had information indicating that Russia could stage attacks to blame on Ukraine.
Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov said Ukrainian forces used chemical weapons shells during their incursion there, Russian state media reported. It is unclear whether Smirnov has provided any evidence to support the allegation, which Reuters was unable to independently verify.
Russian forces continue to struggle to repel the biggest incursion into Ukraine since the war began in February 2022
Smirnov said during a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian forces have taken control of 28 settlements in the Kursk region, and that Kyiv troops have entered 12 km into Russian territory, Reuters notes.