“Ukraine, Russia Seize Villages Amid Kyiv’s Kursk Incursion”

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, during a visit to a border zone from which Ukrainian forces breached Russian territory a fortnight ago, reported the seizure of another Russian village. However, Moscow countered, announcing its soliders had secured an eastern Ukrainian village.

Moreover, Kyiv retaliated with a drone attack on an airbase located in southern Russia. This forms part of its recent fightback strategy as Russian soldiers make gradual headway into eastern Ukraine, over two and a half years on from Russia’s extensive invasion.

Moscow highlighted that it had thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian forces to breach its frontier in a separate area from Kyiv’s initial intrusion into Russia on 6th August. The operation was reportedly carried out approximately 240km from the Ukrainian breach into the Kursk region of western Russia, alluding to a possible strategy from the Kyiv administration to broaden the war to more border zones.

Claiming the capture of villages in reciprocating territories, both Ukraine and Russia continue to strive amidst Kyiv’s continued incursion into Kursk. Ukraine disclosed it targeted pontoon bridges in Russia while Russia confirmed advancements in Ukraine.

According to Kursk authorities, they have initiated the installation of concrete shelters to safeguard civilians during the Ukrainian incursion. The Ukrainian forces made a surprise attack entering the Russian border into Kursk on the 6th of August, after unsuccessfully securing notable victories within their own borders since late 2022.

Despite Moscow’s slow, ongoing march into eastern Ukraine, Kyiv maintains a record of victories on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces, however, are exhausted due to prolonged post-invasion combat since February 2022.

As announced last Thursday by the Russian defence ministry, the village of Mezhove, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, was in Russian control. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow’s latest field reports could be independently corroborated by Reuters.

Russia has substantiated claims that the Ukrainian onslaught on its land has been stopped, while Ukraine keeps asserting its progress.

During his visit to the border region of Sumy, Mr Zelenskiy met his leading commander, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, as shown in an official video, although it didn’t specify the date of the visit.

In a statement by Mr Zelenskiy, he noted that there was a noticeable reduction in the bombardment and consequent civilian fatalities in Sumy after the Kursk campaign was instigated. He also pointed out the addition of another Russian hamlet to the territories under Ukraine’s control. It is on record that more than 90 settlements in the region are currently under the control of Kyiv, as declared by Ukrainian officials.

During a meeting with a US congressional delegation on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, explained that the reason behind Kyiv’s aggressive strategy on Kursk was to ensure the safety of Ukraine. Mr Umerov’s objective in Kursk, as outlined in his statement, was the eradication of threats from the Russian military along the border in order to prevent hostile bombardments and invasions of Ukrainian inhabited areas.

The sucessful invasion has sparked an upturn in the spirits of the Ukrainian populace ahead of a 33rd anniversary celebration of freedom from Soviet Union’s rule set for Saturday. Nevertheless, the US embassy in Kyiv sounded a note of caution on Thursday, stating an increase in the likelihood of Russia instigating missile and drone offensives across Ukraine connected with the imminent Independence Day.

Alexander Bogomaz, governor of Russia’s Bryansk region, reported that on Wednesday, an attempted infiltration by a Ukrainian covert operation and intelligence group was successfully deflected by Russian border patrol and military formations.

A trusted source within Kyiv’s security establishment affirmed that Ukraine had launched a drone assault on Russia’s Marinovka military airport in the lower Russian region of Volgograd, resulting in damages to a reservoir for fuel and glide bombs.

However, Volgograd’s governor Andrei Bocharov had previously reported a fire eruption at a military unit following a collision with a Ukrainian drone on Thursday. Bocharov posted on Telegram stating that there were no casualties and the attack was centered around the Marinovka village vicinity, without further details on the exact location that was impacted.

The Russian defence ministry claimed the downing of 28 drones over its territory.

According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian military, battle activities at the eastern front remain high with 53 onsets and invasions by Russian military on the front in east of the transport city of Pokrovsk recorded in the past day.

The Ukrainian navy also reported its forces’ attack on a Russian ammunition and fuel depot at the Kinburn Spit, held by Moscow and extending into the Black Sea in Ukraine’s occupied south.

Although Ukraine keeps its prime objectives in the Kursk region covert, it has acknowledged creating a protective zone from an area in Russia known for launching cross-border attacks on targets within Ukraine.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024

Condividi