Ukraine continues to have difficulty stopping the Russian army in Donbas – though it launched a surprise offensive in Russia's Kursk region, hoping to get Moscow to withdraw its forces from eastern Ukraine. The information was confirmed both by the American newspaper The Washington Post and personally by the president of the country, Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the situation on the eastern front line in Ukraine, near the strategic logistics center of Pokrovsk, as well as near Toretsk, is "difficult", Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The General Staff of Ukraine wrote in turn on "Facebook" that since the beginning of the day, 14 combat clashes were registered near Toretsk and 34 in the Pokrovsk region. Zelensky also said a balance was needed between the process of military mobilization and maintaining the war-torn economy. In response to a question during his visit to an industrial plant in central Ukraine, Zelensky said the jobs being filled were vital to the salaries of servicemen and to Ukraine's defense efforts.
The Kursk operation did not stop the Russian advance towards Pokrovsk, reported The Washington Post. The Russian army is now close to the city, and local authorities have ordered an evacuation. In recent months, the Russian army has been slowly but methodically advancing in eastern Ukraine. Pokrovsk is believed to be of significant strategic value to the Ukrainian military.
Against this background, it was announced that Russia has created three new military units to strengthen security in the regions bordering Ukraine, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov announced today, Reuters reported. The military units bear the names of the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions. TASS quoted Belousov as saying that he will personally supervise and deal with the most difficult tasks involving the security of the border areas.
Russian forces have been fighting Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region since August 6, when thousands of Ukrainian troops breached Russia's western border, putting the military leadership in Moscow in an extremely uncomfortable position. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs today urged residents of three border regions in the Kursk region near Ukraine to disable their dating apps and online surveillance cameras, DPA reported.