Kiev claims to maintain control over an area of more than 1,300 square kilometers, including 100 villages, and to have imprisoned 600 enemy soldiers, in the largest invasion of Russian territory since the Second World War.
(DW) The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Army, Olexsandr Syrskyi, said on Tuesday (27/08) that his troops already control an area of 1,300 square kilometers in Russia’s Kursk region, which includes around 100 villages.
Since the start of the surprise Ukrainian incursion on Russian soil, 594 Russian soldiers have been captured, Syrskyi said. This, he said, would mean that Ukraine has reasonably expanded its capacity to exchange prisoners with Russia.
The Ukrainian incursion into Kursk – the largest invasion of Russian territory since the Second World War – forced Moscow to order the withdrawal of 130,000 inhabitants from the region.
Some military analysts, however, claim that the area occupied by the Ukrainians is not so extensive. Moreover, according to observers, the soldiers would not have the means to maintain control over the rear lines throughout the region after advancing so quickly.
Syrskyi said that Russia had sent almost 30,000 troops to the Kursk region to try to contain the Ukrainian advances, and even more were on the way. This, according to the military officer, would mean that the Ukrainian strategy of forcing Moscow to redeploy its troops by sending them to Kursk is working.
“The enemy moves soldiers from other positions in such a way as to weaken them. They try to create a ring of defense around our group of soldiers while planning counter-offensive actions,” said Syrskyi.
However, different reports on the Russian attacks indicate that their intensity has not diminished, with Ukrainian forces still under heavy pressure, mainly in the Donetsk region in the east of the country.
Russian attacks on power grids
Syrskyi’s statements, which could not be independently verified, came hours after Ukraine withstood a second massive Russian missile and drone attack on Monday, which left five dead and 16 wounded. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski said that the Russians had used 81 drones, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles.
“We will undoubtedly answer Russia for these and other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished,” the Ukrainian leader said in a post on X.
Zelenski said on Monday that his country had been the target of one of the biggest Russian attacks since the war began in February 2022, and reported “major damage to the energy sector”.
He called on European allies to help his forces shoot down drones and missiles inside Ukrainian territory. “If this unity is working so well in the Middle East, it should also work in Europe. Life has the same value anywhere,” said the Ukrainian leader, apparently referring to US aid to Israel’s anti-aircraft defense.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had used high-precision weaponry to hit important targets in Ukraine’s energy infrastructure which, according to the ministry, supplied the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, such as power substations, gas compressor stations and weapons storage sites for aircraft.
On Tuesday, the ministry said that Ukraine had suffered a large number of casualties in Kursk, with 6,600 soldiers killed or wounded, as well as more than 70 tanks and other armored vehicles destroyed – figures that could not be independently verified either.
Zelenski prepares strategy for dialog
The Ukrainian leader said that the war against Russia will eventually end through dialogue, but assured that Kiev must be in a stronger position to do so. He said he would present a plan to this end to US President Joe Biden.
Zelenski said that the incursion into Russian territory would be part of this strategy, which also includes other actions on the economic and diplomatic fronts. “The main goal of this plan is to force Russia to end the war. I really want this [in a way that is] fair for Ukraine,” he told journalists.
The Ukrainian leader plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September, where he is due to meet Biden. He said he would also discuss the strategy with the two US presidential candidates, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
rc (AP, Reuters, dpa)