Ukraine advances in Kursk. Volodymyr Zelensky is considering opening, “if necessary”, “military command offices” in the Russian region where Ukrainian forces control a thousand square kilometersaccording to Kiev’s version (analysts consider the figure of 800 to be more realistic). At a government meeting, the Ukrainian president spoke about the security and humanitarian aspects of the operation. “We are defending Ukraine and Ukrainians” in full compliance with international law, Zelensky explained.
According to the deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and commander of the Akhmat special forces, Major General Apty Alaudinov, The Armed Forces of Ukraine entered the territory of the Kursk region with a force of 12 thousand military personnelincluding many mercenaries, most of whom were eliminated.
Kiev to create buffer zones for humanitarian corridors and aid to Russian civilians
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irnba Vereshchuk announced in a Telegram post that Ukraine is creating a “safe zone” in the Kursk region to protect its border areas, organize the distribution of humanitarian aid for Russian civilians, and open transit corridors to the rest of Russia and Ukraine to allow displaced people to reach safety.
Vereshchuk explained that the corridors will allow for “humanitarian operations to support civilians within the specified area,” as well as the evacuation of civilians in both Russia and Ukraine. “There are Russian civilians within the specified area. They are protected by humanitarian law, which Ukraine fully adheres to,” the deputy prime minister explained, adding that “appropriate preparations and consultations are underway,” while representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations and other international organizations should have access to the corridors.
Moscow moves military units from Kaliningrad to Kursk
Russia has moved military units from Kaliningrad to the Kursk region to counter the incursion of Ukrainian forces, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told Ukrainian President Zelensky. The demilitarization of the enclave, which the Baltics have repeatedly called for in the past, “is happening thanks to the courage of your soldiers, thanks to your decisions,” Kasciunas said.
The Wall Street Journal also cited US officials as saying that Russia is withdrawing some of its military forces from Ukraine in response to Kiev’s offensive into Russian territory. The US is still trying to determine the full significance of Russia’s move. It did not say how many troops the US believes Russia is moving.
One of the U.S. officials said Tuesday that Kiev told the United States it had been looking for opportunities to exploit “gaps” in Russia’s defense lines and had found one in Kursk, which is weakly defended. Ukraine, he added, hoped the incursion would force Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, a development that has occurred in the past day or so.
Moscow: “Kiev attack in Kursk did not distract Russian forces from Donbass”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s Kursk region “failed to achieve the goal of distracting Russian forces from Donbass and Sloboda Ukraine,” adding that “Ukrainian servicemen who made an incursion into the territory of the Kursk region are being resolutely repelled by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”
“The criminal regime of the ‘next ex-president’ of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky continues to demonstrate its true neo-Nazi nature to the entire world,” Zakharova said, referring to the Ukrainian attack in the Kursk region. “Since the situation in Donbass is desperate for the Ukrainian forces, the Kiev government has ordered a terrorist attack on the territories of the Kursk region that are close to the border.”
“Kiev has made no secret,” the spokeswoman added, “of the fact that it intended to take this step to improve its negotiating positions in the future, which Mikhail Podolyak, Zelensky’s chief adviser, stated without any hesitation on August 8. Ukrainian armed forces shoot indiscriminately at civilians as they try to evacuate from dangerous areas, shell residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, and engage in outright looting. Captured Ukrainian fighters admit that they received an order that if civilians resist, they must mercilessly shoot everyone.”
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