Photo: Kommersant Photo/Anatoliy Zhdanov via Reuters/Documentary photo.
Kyiv's recent invasion of Russian territory caught Moscow by surprise. Russian forces have been conducting a special operation in Ukraine since 2022 and have achieved numerous victories over the past year.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had met with senior officials to discuss the humanitarian situation and the establishment of a military command office "if necessary" in the occupied zone, which, according to information from Kyiv, covers an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers.
On Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote: "We continue to advance further into Kursk, by 1 to 2 kilometers in several areas since the beginning of the day."
In the evening briefing that followed, Zelenskiy spoke about the growing number of Russian prisoners of war captured in Kursk that could be used in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
"The operation in Kursk has made good progress today – we are gradually achieving our strategic objectives. Our country's 'exchange fund' has also been significantly replenished."
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the decision to establish a buffer zone "was made 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 these attacks has been limited by the need to respect Western demands not to use weapons supplied by these countries to attack Russia, but only to attack Russian forces in Ukraine. Zelenskiy once again urged Western allies to allow the use of long-range missiles targeting Russian territory.
Russia shoots down Ukrainian drone.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to push back Ukrainian forces. He asserted that the goal of these forces, backed by the West, is to give Kyiv the upper hand in future peace negotiations.
Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian military blogger who supports Russia, said: "The situation remains very tense."
The Ukrainian General Staff announced that Kyiv attacked four Russian military airfields overnight in the Voronezh, Kursk, and Nizhniy Novgorod regions, targeting fuel and weapons depots. Zelenskiy described the attack as "precise" and "timely."
A Ukrainian security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the long-range drone strike was carried out to mitigate the possibility of Russian glide bombs attacking Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said it destroyed a Russian Su-34.
Moscow claims to have shot down 117 Ukrainian drones and four missiles. The Russian Ministry of Defense posted a video on Telegram showing a Su-34 aircraft bombing a Ukrainian base in the Kursk region.
Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its forces had repelled a series of attacks from Ukraine in the Kursk region, including at Russkoye Porechnoye, 18km from the border between the two countries. Several Russian military bloggers said the front line had stabilized, while state television claimed Moscow's forces were turning the tide.
The Russian National Guard said it is reinforcing security at the Kursk nuclear power plant, 35 km from the combat zone.
In the Belgorod region, bordering Russia, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency.
Russia says it has evacuated 200,000 people from the border region. The acting governor of the Kursk region said late Wednesday that residents of Glushkovo had been ordered to evacuate.
Civilian evacuation corridor plan
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Kyiv will open humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to evacuate to Russia as well as Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said Kyiv would also arrange for the entry of international humanitarian organizations, including the International Red Cross and the UN.
This offensive campaign poses significant risks to Russia, Ukraine, and Western countries seeking to avoid a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
US President Joe Biden said that US officials would be in constant contact with Kyiv throughout the operation, but the White House insisted that Washington had not been notified in advance and had no involvement in the operation.
Russian officials assert that Western countries backing Ukraine were certainly aware of the operation. Russian lawmaker Maria Butina stated, "Of course they were involved."
This campaign could further weaken Ukrainian forces at other points on the front line, where Russia has gradually expanded its occupation zone to encompass 18% of Ukrainian territory.
The most intense fighting remains in Donetsk, and Zelenskiy said that forces there will receive more weapons from the Western aid package than initially anticipated.
Senior Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Russian town of Sudzha, a transit point for Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine, was under Ukrainian control. Natural gas continued to be transported on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry wrote on X: "Sudzha is under Ukrainian control. However, Ukraine has no intention of occupying the land of another country."
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
