Following Ukraine’s shelling on the town of Rakitnoye in Russia’s southwestern Belgorod region, reports suggest that five civilians lost their lives whilst an extra 12 individuals suffered injuries, according to the district’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. Tragically, three of the injured were children. On his Telegram account, Governor Gladkov stated that nine of the injured were admitted to hospital, six of whom are seriously ill. A 16-year-old girl is currently receiving intensive care.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, maintains that the strategy in Russia’s Kursk region is proceeding as anticipated to thwart Moscow’s attempts at seizing the northeastern city of Sumy. The president claimed that the military action, initiated at the beginning of August was designed to safeguard the region of Sumy and apprehend Russian soldiers for potential prisoner exchanges with each side swapping 115 troops over the weekend.
Zelenskiy expressed optimism about the progress of the operation during a press conference in the capital, Kyiv, flanked by Poland’s president and the Lithuanian prime minister, both in the city to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day.
While both countries profess to avoid deliberately causing civilian casualties, Russia has been accused of full-scale invasion against its smaller neighbour Ukraine since February 2022. The Ukrainian offensive, the first foreign military attack within Russian borders since WWII, has taken the Kremlin by surprise, resulting in a large number of residents fleeing their homes. Reuters has been unable to validate these reports independently and Ukraine hasn’t yet issued a response.
Although Ukrainian forces allege to dominate over 1,250 square kilometres of land, top rank executives from Russia’s military have refrained from reallocating substantial units from Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas front lines to assist in impeding the attack.
Zelenskiy refuted suggestions that Ukraine intends to utilise territory in the Kursk province as leverage during negotiations with Russia. During a national celebration event, he stated that Ukraine only endorses the so-called peace formula process. This method includes measures ranging from food and nuclear security to a complete evacuation of Russian soldiers from Ukrainian land, as reported by Bloomberg and Reuters.