Berlin (Agencies)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German weekly Welt am Sonntag, in his first reaction to Ukraine’s advance into Russian territory, that the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is legitimate and guaranteed by Kiev’s right to self-defense, stressing that the alliance was not informed of Ukraine’s plans in advance and did not play a role in them.
“Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and under international law this right does not stop at the border,” Stoltenberg told the newspaper, adding that NATO was not informed of Ukraine’s plans in advance and played no role in them.
The NATO secretary general said Ukraine risks advancing into Russian territory, but it is up to Kiev how to manage its military campaign.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made clear that the operation is aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent further Russian cross-border attacks,” he said, adding, “As with all military operations, this is risky, but it is up to Ukraine to decide how to defend itself.”
Kyiv carried out a major cross-border incursion into the Kursk region on August 6, while Russian forces continue to press toward the strategic center of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.
The incursion was discussed at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday at Kiev’s request amid Moscow’s biggest-ever wave of air strikes on Ukraine. Russia has called the Kursk operation a “major provocation” and said it would respond.
On the ground, at least seven people were killed yesterday in Russian airstrikes on Kharkiv in Ukraine and five others in Ukrainian shelling of Belgorod in Russia, according to local authorities, who also reported dozens of injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the dismissal of the air force commander days after the crash of an F-16 fighter jet, part of the military equipment recently delivered to Kiev by Kiev’s Western allies after a wait of about two years.
“I have decided to replace the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, after a decree to this effect was published on the presidential website.
Zelensky did not explain the reasons for this decision, which comes the day after the announcement of the crash of an F-16 fighter jet.
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