In the western Russian region of Kursk According to consistent statements by both warring parties, Russia has launched a counter-offensive to recapture territory controlled by Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry stated on Thursday in the online service Telegram, The soldiers succeeded in recapturing ten towns within two days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the counteroffensive. Given the military situation, he accused the Western allies of being too hesitant to support his country.
Regarding the Russian counter-offensive in Kursk, Zelenskyy said that the actions of the Russian army corresponded to “the Ukrainian plan.” However, he did not initially provide any further details. The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian Northern Troops units had advanced into the region.
The Ukrainian army had begun a military offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk on August 6. Since then, it had According to their own statements, they have occupied around a hundred Russian villages and almost 1300 square kilometresThe advance was the first of its kind since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 – and the largest attack by foreign forces on Russian territory since World War II.
The Ukrainian army had declared that the aim of the offensive was not to annex Russian territory – but to force Russia to move troops and use the occupied territories in negotiations.
Russian troops reportedly crossed river using pontoon bridge
According to the Telegram channel Rybar, which is close to the Russian military, the fighting in Kursk is taking place mainly around the town of Snagosti in the western part of the region controlled by Ukraine. In this area, the Ukrainian army had destroyed several bridges in recent weeks. This forced the Russian army to build pontoons to cross the Sejm River.
Over the past two days, Russian military bloggers have been sharing images on online networks that they claim show an attack by Russian tanks on Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region and the capture of a group of Ukrainian soldiers.
At the same time, the Russian army in eastern Ukraine continued to advance towards the strategically important city of Pokrovsk, in which 28,000 people still live despite repeated calls for evacuation by Ukrainian authoritiesThe front line is now only ten kilometers from Pokrovsk. According to Ukrainian authorities, the Russian army has now cut off both the gas and water supplies to the city.
In view of the difficult military situation in his country, Zelenskyj complained about the “delay” in allowing Western weapons to be used against targets on Russian territory.
This delay will lead to “Russia moving these military targets deeper into the country,” said Zelensky. Ukraine has long demanded that long-range weapons supplied by the West be used to attack more distant targets on Russian territory to be allowed to target. (AFP)
