There are Ukrainian troops not only in Kursk, but also in the Belgorod region, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed for the first time. The goal is to protect Ukrainian border regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops have taken up positions in the Russian border region of Belgorod. He reported that Chief of the General Staff Oleksandr Syrsky provided him with information about "the presence of Ukrainian military personnel in Kursk and Belgorod regions". Ukraine has occupied parts of the Kursk region bordering Belgorod since last August, ARD recalls.
"We are conducting active operations in the border regions on enemy territory," Zelensky said in his traditional video address. "The war must return to where it came from."
There is no confirmation from the Russian side that Ukrainian troops have reached the Belgorod region. But the local administration has somewhat lost control of the territory since the regions near the border have come under fire from the Ukrainian side. In addition, Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side have invaded there in the past, the German public-law media writes.
The goal: protecting the border regions of Kharkiv and Sumy
After the penetration of Ukrainian troops into the Kursk region since the beginning of August, this is another successful breakthrough by Kiev against Russia. As in Kursk, it is about protecting Ukrainian regions, Zelensky said. He specifically named the border regions of Kharkiv and Sumy.
So far, the Ukrainian side has not commented on the offensive in the Belgorod region. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on repelled attacks. Moscow military observers recently reported that in the Belgorod border region, the Russians blew up their own dam - near the village of Popovka, just a few hundred meters from the Ukrainian border. This was supposed to prevent the use of heavy Ukrainian armored vehicles.
Zelensky promised further strikes with long-range drones
In the neighboring Kursk region, Ukrainian units controlled a large area for months, but recently had to withdraw. Western observers are critical of the Ukrainian military's advance on Russian territory, as this leads to a shortage of resources on other important sections of the front, ARD reports.
Zelensky stressed the importance of destroying the occupier's equipment and logistics. At the same time, he announced further strikes on Russian territory with long-range drones. There was positive momentum in this regard. "I can't give specific numbers, but this year we will provide the necessary funds for our defense forces," he said.