On Monday, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that they have currently taken control of 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of land in the Russian region of Kursk after launching a counter-offensive.
It was the seventh day since Ukraine launched a sudden cross-border attack on Kursk. This marked the first such action by the Ukrainian regular forces. Kursk is located in the southwest of Russia.
Ukrainian President Zelensky released a video on Telegram on Monday. The video showed Army Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrskyi reporting on the front-line situation in Kursk.
According to the Associated Press, Syrskyi said, “The troops are carrying out their mission. The entire front line is actually advancing. The situation is under our control.”
“We continue to launch offensives in Kursk region. Currently, we control approximately 1000 square kilometers of Russian territory,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Russian state news agency TASS reported on Telegram that President Putin held a meeting with senior security officials. The acting governor of Kursk reported that the situation in the region is difficult, noting that Ukraine currently controls 28 settlements in the area and is steadily invading the region.
A video clip from TASS showed Putin angrily responding during the meeting and interrupting the acting governor Smirnov’s report.
According to BBC News, Putin instructed the Russian military, “The main task of the Defense Ministry is to push the enemy out of our territory.”
Putin stated that Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk is Kyiv’s response to Moscow, as Russia is currently in a standoff with Ukraine in the Donbas region. Donbas is located in eastern Ukraine.
Zelensky confirmed for the first time on Monday that Ukrainian forces are conducting operations in the Kursk region. He praised the “firm and decisive actions” of Ukrainian soldiers and commanders on Telegram.
Zelensky also expressed that Ukraine is willing to provide humanitarian aid to the Kursk region. According to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, over 76,000 people have been asked to evacuate the area.