Photo: Kommersant Photo/Anatoliy Zhdanov via Reuters/File Photo.
Kyiv’s invasion of Russian territory this week has taken Moscow by surprise. Russian forces have been conducting a special operation in Ukraine since 2022 and have achieved many victories over the past year.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had met with senior officials to discuss the humanitarian situation and set up a military command office "if necessary" in the occupied zone, which Kyiv said covers more than 1,000 square kilometers.
On Telegram, Mr. Zelenskiy wrote: "We continue to advance deeper into Kursk, from 1 to 2 kilometers in many areas since the beginning of the day."
In his evening briefing later, Mr Zelenskiy spoke about the growing number of Russian prisoners of war held in Kursk that could be used in exchanges for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
"The operation in Kursk has progressed well today – we are gradually achieving the strategic goal. Our country's 'exchange fund' has also been significantly replenished."
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the decision to create a buffer zone "was taken to protect our border communities from daily attacks from the enemy".
Russia has regularly attacked Ukraine with cross-border airstrikes from border territories, including Kursk.
Ukraine has complained that its ability to defend itself against such attacks is limited by the need to respect Western demands that the weapons they provide not be used against Russia and only against Russian forces in Ukraine. Mr Zelenskiy has again urged his Western allies to allow the use of long-range missiles against Russian territory.
Russia shoots down Ukrainian drone
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to push back Ukrainian forces, saying their aim, backed by the West, is to give Kyiv an upper hand in future peace talks.
"The situation is still very tense," said Yuri Podolyaka, a pro-Russian Ukrainian military blogger.
The Ukrainian General Staff said Kyiv attacked four Russian military airports overnight in the Voronezh, Kursk and Nizhniy Novgorod regions, targeting fuel and weapons depots. Mr Zelenskiy described the attack as “precise” and “timely”.
A Ukrainian security source, who asked not to be identified, said the long-range drone strike was aimed at reducing Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine with glide bombs. The Ukrainian military said it destroyed a Russian Su-34.
Moscow said it shot down 117 Ukrainian drones and four missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry posted a video on Telegram showing a Su-34 bomber bombing a Ukrainian base in the Kursk region.
Later, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had repelled a series of attacks from Ukraine in the Kursk region, including at Russkoye Porechnoye, 18km from the border. Some Russian military bloggers said the front line had stabilized, while state television said Moscow’s forces were turning the tide.
The Russian National Guard said it was reinforcing security at the Kursk nuclear power station, 35 km from the war zone.
In the Russian border region of Belgorod, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency.
Russia said it had evacuated 200,000 people from the border area. The acting governor of the Kursk region said late Wednesday that residents of Glushkovo had been asked to leave.
Civilian Evacuation Corridor Plan
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Kyiv will open humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to evacuate to Russia as well as Ukraine.
Kyiv will also arrange for international humanitarian organizations, including the International Red Cross and the United Nations, Ukrainian officials said.
This offensive campaign poses great risks for Russia, Ukraine, and Western countries that want to avoid direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
US President Joe Biden said US officials would be in constant contact with Kyiv during the operation, but the White House said Washington had not been informed in advance and had no involvement in the operation.
Russian officials insist that Western countries backing Ukraine must have known about the operation. "Of course they were involved," said Russian lawmaker Maria Butina.
The operation could leave Ukrainian forces vulnerable elsewhere on the front line, where Russia has steadily expanded its occupation zone to 18 percent of Ukraine's territory.
The most intense fighting is still taking place in Donetsk, and Mr Zelenskiy said the forces there will receive more weapons from aid packages from Western countries than expected.
The Russian town of Sudzha, a transit point for Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine, is under Ukrainian control, said senior Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi. Natural gas was still flowing on Wednesday.
"Sudzha is under Ukrainian control. However, Ukraine has no intention of occupying the land of another country," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
Nguyen Quang Minh (According to Reuters)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ukraine-chien-dich-trong-long-nuoc-nga-co-tien-trien-de-ra-vung-dem-chien-luoc-204240815175633485.htm
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