Reuters on September 11 quoted a senior Russian commander as saying that Russian units had begun a major counterattack in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops had invaded in early August.
Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Chechen (Russia) Akhmat special forces fighting in Kursk, said the Russian army attacked and pushed back Ukrainian troops in about 10 settlements in Kursk, TASS reported.
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“The situation is good for us,” Alaudinov said on his Telegram channel. According to The Kyiv Independent, Alaudinov revealed that Russia had deployed the 155th Marine Brigade for the counteroffensive and had made progress in the Snagost area, 10 km north of the Ukrainian border. The pro-Russian Telegram account Two Majors, which provides war updates, also said that units from the 51st Airborne Regiment had participated in the operation.
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The Russian Defense Ministry said on September 11 that Ukraine lost more than 350 soldiers and 13 armored vehicles in Kursk in 24 hours, and had lost more than 12,200 soldiers and nearly 100 tanks since the launch of the operation against Kursk.
Ukrainian officials have not commented on Russian military activity in the Kursk region.
Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov said the region, which relies on agriculture, had suffered an estimated $1 billion in damage from the fighting.
The news of Russia's counterattack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart David Lammy were in Kyiv on September 11, which was seen as an opportunity for the parties to discuss the possibility of the West removing restrictions and allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to attack Russian soil.
According to Reuters, Secretary of State Blinken said he wanted to hear directly from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others about Kyiv’s goals in the war and what Washington could do to help. Mr. Zelensky called for “stronger decisions” to lift restrictions.
Russia begins counterattack, pushing Ukrainian troops out of 10 Kursk settlements
According to Western sources, the US and UK foreign ministers will want Kyiv to provide detailed information about its strategic objectives before considering regulations on the use of weapons. On September 10, US President Joe Biden said his administration was considering a scenario of lifting restrictions so that Kyiv could use long-range weapons to attack Russian soil.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there would be an "appropriate response" if Ukraine was allowed to use long-range missiles such as the US ATACMS to attack Russian territory.
Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv for more than 30 minutes while Mr. Blinken and Mr. Lammy were there. The Ukrainian Air Force said a missile was moving toward the Poltava region from the Sumy region in northern Ukraine. Regional officials said the missile was shot down and initial reports did not include casualties or damage.
In Kyiv, British Foreign Secretary Lammy said on September 11 that London would provide an additional 600 million pounds ($781 million) in aid to Ukraine. Of this, 242 million pounds would be provided in grants to Kyiv and more than 480 million pounds would be guaranteed for World Bank loans to Ukraine before the end of this year.
Britain also said it would provide anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition and armor to Ukraine by the end of this year.
From left, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy meet in Kyiv on September 11.
Mr. Zelensky revealed the "victory plan"
Speaking at the annual event called "Crimea Platform" held in Kyiv on September 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine must present to its Western partners what he called a "victory plan" before holding the second peace conference.
“This plan will strengthen Ukraine’s capabilities and, in my opinion, it will have a political and psychological impact that will force Russia to decide to end the war,” Zelensky said, saying the plan would force Russia to end the conflict diplomatically.
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President Zelensky first mentioned the plan in August, adding that he wanted to discuss it with US President Joe Biden and two US presidential candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Ukraine is pushing for a second peace summit. Kyiv says it wants Russia to attend because many countries want to see delegations from both sides of the conflict. Moscow has previously said it will not negotiate while Ukrainian troops are on Russian soil.
UK sanctions Russia's 'ghost fleet'
The British government on September 11 announced sanctions against the Russian “ghost fleet” that Moscow uses to export oil. According to AFP, experts say the so-called ghost fleet consists of tankers with unclear ownership or without proper insurance, allowing Moscow to continue exporting despite multiple sanctions.
This is the third time the UK has taken action against oil tankers, which London considers an important source of revenue to finance Russia's activities in Ukraine. There are 10 ships banned this time, bringing the total number of ships banned to 25. Accordingly, the above ships will be banned from docking in UK ports and will not be registered in this country.
“These sanctions further undermine Russia’s ability to trade oil through its phantom fleet,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
Moscow did not immediately respond to this information.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-931-nga-phan-cong-manh-o-kursk-anh-cam-van-tau-ma-18524091123343729.htm
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