Ukraine systematically attacks Kursk, President Zelensky talks about answers to all the most important and strategic issues

Ukraine has remained tight-lipped about the scale of its Kursk assault, but the steps have been well-planned. Kiev appears to want to use the results of Kursk to convince the West to lift its long-range arms embargo.

Ukrainian soldiers drive armored vehicles in Sumy, bordering Russia's Kursk region. (Source: Reuters)

According to the Wall Street Journal on August 17, Ukraine has deployed 6,000 troops to Russia's Kursk border region and about 4,000 troops to participate in support operations in Ukraine's Sumy border region.

Earlier, Russian media reported that hundreds of Ukrainian troops stormed the Kursk region in the early morning of August 6 with the support of armored vehicles. This was the largest raid since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022.

So far, Ukraine has been tight-lipped about the scale of the assault, with officials only announcing progress in Kursk.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on August 16 that the country's army continued to strengthen its position in Kursk after advancing more than 30 km, controlling more than 1,150 km2 here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also assessed on the same day that the raid was going according to plan and that the Ukrainian army was increasingly expanding its control in Kursk.

According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces continue to make advances in Kursk, especially in the areas southeast of the strategic town of Sudzha.

Kiev asserted that the ultimate goal of the offensive was not to seize Russian territory but to protect people in the Ukrainian border areas from Moscow's attacks and force Russia to transfer some of its troops in Ukraine to defend the border.

In addition, President Zelensky called on Western partners to lift the policy prohibiting Ukraine from using long-range aid weapons to attack military targets inside Russian territory.

"We are doing everything possible to provide our forces with weapons and reinforcements. In this regard, it is important that our partners remove the barriers that prevent us from weakening Russia's positions as required by developments on the ground," Zelensky said.

According to the Ukrainian President, long-range strike capabilities are the answer to all the most important and strategic problems of the conflict. He announced that he would continue diplomatic efforts to gain the approval of Western allies and partners, including the US, UK and France.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ukraine-tan-cong-kursk-mot-cach-bai-ban-tong-thong-zelensky-noi-ve-cau-tra-loi-cho-tat-ca-cac-van-de-quan-trong-va-chien-luoc-nhat-283028.html