Russia continues to attack Ukrainian troops in Kursk (Russia) and begins to clear mines in this area, while Ukraine says its military mission in this land has been completed.
Reuters news agency on March 15 quoted a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense saying that the country's forces had just regained control of two more villages, Rubanshchina and Zaoleshenka, in the Kursk region.
Russia is accelerating its advance to push Ukrainian forces out of its western territory, after Ukraine took control of around 100 settlements in August 2024.
Trump says Russia should spare Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk, Putin calls for surrender
In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry also said that engineering forces have begun to clear mines in this area.
"The engineering troops have begun mine clearance in the border areas of the Kursk region... to restore socially significant infrastructure and facilities necessary for establishing peaceful life and economic activity in the region after the fighting," the ministry's statement said, TASS news agency reported.
Russian soldiers in the Kursk region on March 14.
Accordingly, Russian forces are simultaneously clearing mines and explosives from residential buildings, households, agricultural land and important facilities such as gas pipelines, boilers, power and communication lines, roads and bridges.
The ministry also said that the engineers had a lot of work to do, as Ukrainian soldiers used different types of ammunition, including ammunition provided by NATO countries.
Russian law enforcement and military police are identifying and detaining Ukrainian soldiers disguised as Russian soldiers in the Kursk region, Russian security sources said.
The New York Post on March 15 quoted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying that his country's military campaign in Russia's Kursk province was a success, in the context of Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from this area.
President Zelensky declares 'mission accomplished' in Kursk
He said the Kursk offensive achieved its main goal of drawing Russian troops away from the directions of attacking Pokrovsk in the east, as well as Kharkiv and Sumy in northeastern Ukraine.
However, President Zelensky admitted that Ukrainian forces were under great pressure on the Kursk front. "The situation there is obviously very difficult," AFP quoted Mr. Zelensky as saying.
Commenting on Russia, Mr. Zelensky accused the Russian leader of "deceiving people about the situation on the ground, especially what is happening in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces continue their operation." Russia did not immediately comment on this statement.
Ukraine has been attacking the Kursk region since August 2024, and Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly stated that they will use the controlled territory there as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.
Mr Zelensky's statement came as the majority of Ukrainian forces were said to have withdrawn from Kursk, starting on March 5.
Conflict continues
The Kyiv Independent reported on March 15 that a fire broke out near a railway station in Russia's Volgograd region amid an attack by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on an oil refinery in the region.
A fire broke out in a field near the Sarepta railway station in the Russian city of Volgograd early on March 15, Russia's Astra news channel reported.
Residents said the fire broke out during a UAV attack on a nearby oil refinery.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on the morning of March 14 that 64 UAVs were shot down in the Volgograd region overnight.
The Volgograd refinery, owned by Russian oil giant Lukoil, has been targeted in previous attacks, most recently in a drone strike on February 15.
In Ukraine, the DTEK power company said Russian raids on the night of March 14 caused damage to the company's energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa provinces.
Accordingly, the damage was "significant" and some customers in these two provinces lost power.
The Ukrainian Air Force said its forces destroyed 130 of the 178 Russian UAVs that attacked on the night of March 14. In addition, Russia also launched two ballistic missiles.
Russia and Ukraine have not commented on each other's information.
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Germany provides $3.2 billion in aid to Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent on March 15 quoted incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as saying that the coalition between his Christian Democratic Party (CDU/CSU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party agreed to spend $3.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
The aid package is part of a plan to significantly increase Germany's military spending. Mr. Merz presented his ambitious spending plan to lawmakers in early March, saying he hoped to get the current parliament to approve the military aid.
The coalition has agreed to reforms and increased defence spending, and their combined support gives Mr Merz the support he needs to secure approval when the budget is voted on on 18 March.
"Germany is back. Germany is making a major contribution to defending freedom and peace in Europe," he declared.
Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has confirmed that he will release additional aid to Ukraine after parliament approves a defense spending package, Mr Merz said.
Germany has allocated 4 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine this year and the additional aid package will bring that to 7 billion euros ($7.2 billion).
In another development, foreign ministers of G7 countries meeting in Canada on March 14 reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ngay-1116-nga-quyet-gianh-lai-toan-bo-kursk-ukraine-noi-su-menh-hoan-tat-185250315224051384.htm
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