Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is “getting stronger” in Kursk, with his troops blowing up a second bridge in the Russian territory on Sunday.
Fighting continues in the Kursk region, where Ukraine has been inching forward since launching its surprise cross-border incursion last week.
The foothold of Kyiv’s presence in Kursk is “getting stronger” and “now we are reinforcing our positions,” Zelensky said in his latest address.
It comes two days after Ukrainian forces destroyed another bridge over the Seym.
Russian forces on the outskirts of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region Meanwhile, Russian forces are continuing their advances in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv has been under pressure all year.
With his forces blowing up a second bridge in Russian territory on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that his country is “getting stronger” in Kursk.
Since Ukraine’s unexpected cross-border incursion last week, fighting has persisted in the Kursk region. Ukraine has been making progress in this area. However, pressure to leave the occupied east of Ukraine persists.
Russia is having trouble defending its own territory after the Kursk offensive. With the attack, Kyiv appears to be trying to accomplish a number of objectives, including stretching Russian resources and restoring morale after a difficult few months. According to an aide to the Ukrainian president, the invasion was made to guarantee a “fair” bargaining process.
“Now we are reinforcing our positions,” Zelensky stated in his most recent speech, indicating that Kyiv’s foothold in Kursk is “getting stronger.”.
According to Ukrainian forces, they destroyed a second bridge over the Seym river in the Kursk region on Sunday using “precision air strikes” in an effort to undermine Moscow’s logistical capabilities. “.
Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykolaiv Oleshchuk, wrote on social media, saying, “The Air Force aviation continues to deprive the enemy of logistics capabilities with precision air strikes, which significantly affects the course of combat operations.” The post included a video of smoke plumes engulfing parts of the bridge.
It happens two days after another bridge over the Seym was demolished by Ukrainian forces. According to Russia’s foreign ministry, Ukraine used Western rockets—likely HIMARS made in the US—to launch that attack.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState announced that Kyiv is making more progress in the Kursk region. The group also shared a still image from a video that CNN had geolocated, showing what appeared to be a Ukrainian Defense Forces tank in the village of Olgovka, which is situated roughly 20 km (12 miles) north of the town of Sudzha.
After starting their cross-border incursion earlier this month, Kyiv’s forces seized control of Sudzha and set up an office for the Ukrainian military commandant there.
As Russian incursions continue in the southwest, the Ukrainian military claims to have taken control of over 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.
The Ukrainian military released a video on Sunday that showed what they claimed to be “Sivalka” flamethrower systems “engaged in active combat operations” toward Kursk.
When intense fighting is occurring, Russia has advised locals to leave the area. Marina Degtyareva, the head of the Korenevsky district of the Kursk region, urged the people who have left the area to stay away.
The state of operations within our district is still challenging. She stated on Sunday that some citizens are continuing to pursue their attempts to go back home, which is impeding the efforts of our armed forces. Residents of the area are unable to return at this time, and doing so can occasionally lead to horrible tragedies. “.
“Let’s be patient and let our military deal with the enemy, let’s not interfere with our defenders,” Degtyareva urged all the residents of the Korenevsky district, adding that the authorities would notify the locals when it was safe for them to return.
Outside Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region are Russian forces.
As all year, Kyiv has been under pressure from Russian forces as they continue to advance in eastern Ukraine.
Given its convenient proximity to Kostiantynivka, another important military center in Ukraine, Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, has drawn the attention of Russia’s army. The road that connects the two is used by Ukraine to evacuate victims and resupply the front lines.
The distance between the Russians and the town’s periphery is as little as 11 kilometers. The head of the military administration in Pokrovsk, Serhii Dobriak, stated on Sunday that the town was preparing.
Defense plans have been created, and every town in the Donetsk region has a combat unit assigned to it. To construct fortifications, we are collaborating with the armed forces. This is an ongoing process, Dobriak stated.
The Russian troops’ approach has expedited the civilian evacuation from Pokrovsk, he claimed. Approximately 1,800 individuals have been removed from the city in the last week alone, compared to the 450–500 residents who were removed from the city each month until recently.
“We need to consider our safety and evacuate because the Russians are destroying our towns and villages and killing civilians,” Dobriak remarked. “At the moment, guided aerial bomb attacks, MLRS, and missiles are all hitting the town.”. “.
At the moment, every service in the neighborhood is operational, including stores, ATMs, banks, pharmacies, and farmers’ markets. According to Dobriak, courts and administrative service centers are open as well.
Iryna Vereshchuk, the vice prime minister of Ukraine, urged Pokrovsk residents and those living in other settlements “in the immediate vicinity of the front line” to evacuate and “leave for safer regions” on Sunday. “.
Although she acknowledged that locals would have to leave their homes, jobs, and belongings, Vereshchuk said, “the lives and health of you and your children are more valuable” and that continuing to live in the area would impede the defense forces’ ability to do their duties.
As for you, I am aware that the evacuation could present challenges and uncertainty. Still, it is a lot better than being on the front lines, under enemy fire. You won’t be evacuated alone, she assured us, adding that assistance would come from the government, local law enforcement, volunteers, foreign organizations, and the host communities themselves. “.
In the Donetsk region, about 40 miles east of Pokrovsk, there is also fierce fighting around the villages of Pivnichne and Zalizne. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russian forces launched “a massive assault” there early on Sunday.
The General Staff stated, “The Russian invaders, supported by an armored group of 12 vehicles, attempted to break through the Ukrainian military positions and advance towards Toretsk,” a reference to a key town that would allow Russian forces to move closer to Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, Russia has used more than 40 missiles of various types, 750 guided aerial bombs, and 200 strike UAVs of various types against Ukrainian cities and villages over the course of the past week.
The occupier needs to face justice in court and be held responsible for this kind of terror. They already have to contend with the might of our fighters,” Zelensky declared.
Amidst numerous attacks on the front lines in Donetsk, Zelensky stated in his daily address on Sunday that Ukrainian forces were “doing everything to hold the positions.”.
“Moreover, this goes beyond merely safeguarding Ukraine; it has become our foremost objective in defensive maneuvers as a whole: eliminating the greatest amount of Russian military capability and executing the greatest amount of counteroffensive maneuvers,” Zelensky declared.
“Everything that causes losses to the Russian state, military, economy, and military-industrial complex helps keep the war from getting bigger and moves us closer to a just peace for Ukraine and an end to this aggression,” he continued.
Zelensky was informed by Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Syrskyi that “our guys are doing great on all fronts,” but he asked allies to expedite the delivery of supplies. “Vacations are not allowed in times of war,” Syrskyi declared, focusing his remarks primarily on the US, the UK, and France.
