Ukraine is not interested in occupying and seizing the Russian Federation’s territory in the Kursk region, and the purpose of the military operation is to save the lives of Ukrainians and protect the territory from Russian attacks. Heorhiy Tykhyi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated this at a briefing.
“I can emphasize here that, unlike Russia, Ukraine does not need other people’s property. Ukraine is not interested in taking away the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect our people’s lives.”
The diplomat emphasized that since the start of this summer, the Russians have launched over 2,000 attacks on the Sumy region from the Kursk region alone, using MLRS, artillery, mortars, and drones. Additionally, the invaders have launched 255 guided bombs and over 100 missiles.
“Unfortunately, Ukraine lacks enough long-range strike capabilities with its weapons to defend itself against this terror. We do not yet have the solutions we insist on. Therefore, there is a need to liberate these border areas from Russian military contingents that are striking Ukraine with the help of the Armed Forces.”
The operation in the Kursk region also prevents Russia from deploying additional units to the Donetsk region and complicates its military logistics, Kyiv said.
“The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace, in particular on the basis of the Ukrainian peace formula, the sooner the raids of the defense forces into the territory of the Russian Federation will stop,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
“And as long as Putin continues this war, he will receive from Ukraine the responses that Ukraine needs, and these are absolutely legitimate Ukrainian actions, in particular within the framework of the right to self-defense under the UN Charter.”
The Ukrainian Forces’ offensive in the Kursk region has been going on for a week now (a video from the offensive). On August 12, the Ukrainian authorities officially confirmed the operation for the first time.
According to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, the Ukrainian army controls almost 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.
On August 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about the situation in the Kursk region of Russia after the Ukrainian forces broke through. According to the Ukrainian President, 74 settlements in the region are currently under Ukrainian control.
Earlier, on August 12, the Russian governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, said the figures were half as much; according to him, “the depth of penetration of the Ukrainian army is 12 km, the width is 40 km,” and 28 settlements are under the control of the Ukrainian army.
The investigative project DeepState claims that the Ukrainian Forces control 44 settlements in the Kursk region. Control over another 10 settlements, according to analysts, is “questionable.” DeepState claims to be providing an “extremely conservative” assessment of the situation.
