Ukraine says it now controls 74 Russian settlements in Kursk region

On Tuesday, Ukraine announced that its troops had made further advancements into Russia’s Kursk region, gaining control of 74 settlements. This comes after a surprise cross-border incursion launched a week ago.

Ukrainian forces entered Russia’s Kursk region last Tuesday (August 6) and have since taken control of dozens of settlements. This marks the largest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening posted footage of a video call with his military chief Oleksandr Syrsky, who said that “control over 40 square kilometres of territory has been taken” and “74 settlements are under our control”.

Syrsky said earlier Monday (August 12) that his troops controlled about 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory.

A shift in gears for Ukraine

Since beginning its invasion in February 2022, Russia has seized territory in southern and eastern Ukraine, and has subjected Ukrainian cities to missile and drone attacks.

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Ukraine has found itself outnumbered and outgunned, and has faced difficulties after initially pushing Russian forces back in 2022. The recent advance into the Kursk region, which caught Russia off guard, marks the largest cross-border action since the invasion began.

Ukraine’s aim

Ukraine said it would not hold on to Russian territory it had captured and offered to stop raids if Moscow agreed a “just peace”.

“The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace… the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defence forces into Russia will stop,” Foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy told reporters.

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A Ukrainian security official told AFP that Ukraine sought to “stretch the positions of the enemy, to inflict maximum losses and to destabilise the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border”.

US President Joe Biden, in his first comments on Kyiv’s surprise attack, said the incursion was giving Russia’s President Vladimir Putin a “real dilemma”.

Putin’s reaction

Russia’s defence ministry said Tuesday (August 13) that its troops “continue to repel” Ukrainian assaults and had “foiled” attacks by “mobile groups in armoured vehicles”. Over 120,000 Russians have evacuated their homes in border areas of the Kursk region.

Putin has promised to “dislodge” Ukrainian troops.

He told a televised meeting with officials on Monday that “one of the obvious goals of the enemy is to sow discord”. The recently re-elected leader said Ukraine wanted to “improve its negotiating position” in case of future talks with Moscow.

With inputs from AFP