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Russian troops have launched a “rapid” offensive in Kursk Oblast but have not yet achieved “serious” success in the area, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 13 at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference.
Russia recently launched a counterattack in the embattled region, which has been partially held by Ukrainian forces since the start of the cross-border incursion on Aug. 6.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Russian soldiers had regained control of 10 settlements as of Sept. 12. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
“In the Kursk direction, the Russians have started their rapid offensive, and they want to use about 60,000-70,000 people there. We know about 40,000 people who are there,” Zelensky said.
“They wanted to make quick breakthroughs… They are doing it, but we have not seen any serious success yet.”
According to Zelensky, Ukraine’s operation in Kursk Oblast resulted in a decrease in the number of Russian assaults in Donetsk Oblast. The situation near Pokrovsk, one of the major goals of Russia’s ongoing offensive in Donetsk Oblast, has been gradually stabilizing over the past week, he added.
While the Russian offensive on Pokrovsk has slowed down, heavy fighting continues in other sectors of the front in Donetsk Oblast, including near Vuhledar.
According to Zelensky, before the Kursk operation, Russia fired 12 shells against one Ukrainian in Donetsk Oblast. Now, the ratio is 1 to 2.5, he claimed.
Speaking of Moscow’s counterattack in Kursk Oblast a day prior, Zelensky said that “everything is going according to our plan.”
As of Sept. 6, Ukraine controlled over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) and around 100 settlements in Kursk Oblast. According to Kyiv, the incursion was meant to divert Russian forces from Donbas and to prevent further Russian cross-border attacks from Kursk Oblast.
Ukrainian soldiers also have reportedly taken over 600 Russian captives and inflicted 6,000 casualties in Kursk Oblast as of early September.
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