CNN
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The Ukrainian military invasion of Kursk is intended to create a “buffer zone” to prevent cross-border attacks by Moscow’s forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Sunday as his troops blew up a second bridge in the Russian border region.
After the surprise military operation almost two weeks ago, Ukrainian troops are slowly advancing in Kursk despite the fighting. But pressure is still on in the occupied eastern regions of Ukraine as Russian troops advance on an important military base.
Russia is struggling to secure its own territory after the Kursk offensive. Kyiv appears to have several goals with the attack: from boosting morale after a stormy few months to preserving Russian resources. An adviser to the Ukrainian president said the attack was aimed at ensuring a “fair” negotiation process.
On Sunday, Zelensky explained the strategic objectives of the operation for the first time: “Our main task in defensive operations as a whole now is to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and to carry out a maximum of counteroffensives.”
This includes “creating a buffer zone on the territory of the attacker,” the president said in his recent speech.
“Everything that inflicts losses on the Russian army, the Russian state, its military-industrial complex and its economy helps prevent the war from escalating and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression,” Zelensky said.
Kiev’s position in Kursk is becoming “stronger” as troops reinforce their positions, Zelensky said. Kiev says it controls almost 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, and both Russia and Ukraine have called on residents to leave areas where heavy fighting is taking place.
As part of their efforts to cripple Moscow’s logistical capabilities and disrupt supply routes, Ukrainian forces said on Sunday they had blown up another bridge over the Sejm River in the Kursk region with “precise air strikes”.
“The Air Force continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities through precise air strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykolaiv Oleshchuk said in a social media post that included a video showing clouds of smoke enveloping parts of the bridge.
The attack came two days after Ukrainian forces destroyed a first bridge over the Sejm. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Ukraine used Western missiles, believed to be US HIMARS missiles, for the attack.
HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is arguably Kyiv’s most revered and feared weapon in combat and has helped Ukraine recapture significant territory from Russia since its introduction.
Ukrainian surveillance group DeepState said on Sunday that Kyiv was making further progress in Kursk and released a still from a video, whose geolocation was also obtained by CNN, that purports to show a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank in the village of Olgovka, about 20 kilometers north of the town of Sudzha.
According to Ukrainian military officials, Kyiv forces took control of Sudzha last week and set up a military command there.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian armed forces released a video which they said showed that Sivalka flamethrower systems were “involved in active combat operations” in the Kursk direction.
In order to compensate for the loss of territory at Kursk, Russia has apparently withdrawn several thousand soldiers from the front-line fighting in occupied Ukraine.
And residents who had fled the area because of the fighting were warned not to return.
“The operational situation on the territory of our district remains complicated. Some citizens do not give up their attempts to return home, thereby hindering the work of our armed forces,” the head of the Korenevsky district of Kursk, Marina Degtyareva, said on Sunday. “Returning to the area is still impossible for local residents and sometimes leads to terrible tragedies.”
Authorities will let residents know when it is safe to return, she added.
“I appeal to all residents of Korenevsky district: let us be patient and leave the enemy to our forces. Let us not fight with our defenders,” she said.
Although Kiev continues to advance towards Kursk, Russian forces are also advancing in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian army has moved closer to the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Pokrovsk is an important hub for the Ukrainian military as it is easily connected to Kostiantynivka, another military center. Ukraine uses the road connecting the two towns to deliver supplies to the front lines and evacuate the injured.
“The Russians are close, up to eleven kilometers from the outskirts. The city is preparing,” said Serhii Dobriak, head of the military administration of the city of Pokrovsk, on Sunday.
“Every city in the Donetsk region is assigned to a combat unit and defense plans have been developed. We are working with the military to build fortifications. This is an ongoing process.”
Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukrainian units were “doing everything to hold their positions” while there were dozens of attacks on the front in Donetsk.
The evacuation of civilians from Pokrovsk was accelerated by the arrival of Russian troops. In the past week alone, almost 1,800 people were evacuated from the city; until recently, 450 to 500 residents were evacuated every month.
“The Russians are destroying our towns and villages and killing civilians, so we have to think about our safety and evacuate,” said Dobriak. “Currently, the city is being hit by rockets and MLRS, and there have been several guided bomb attacks.”
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Sunday called on residents of Pokrovsk and other settlements “in the immediate vicinity of the front line” to evacuate and “move to safer regions.”
Vereshchuk said she understood that residents would have to leave their jobs, homes and property. “Nevertheless, the life and health of you and your children are more valuable,” and remaining in the area would affect the work of the defense forces.
Heavy fighting is also taking place around the villages of Pivnichne and Zalizne in Donetsk, about 64 kilometers east of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces launched a “massive attack” on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian General Staff said.
“The Russian invaders, supported by a tank group of 12 vehicles, attempted to break through the Ukrainian military positions and advance towards Toretsk,” the General Staff said, referring to another strategic city that could pave the way for Russian forces to advance towards Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Last week, Russia used more than 40 missiles, 750 guided bombs and 200 attack drones against Ukrainian cities and villages, Selensky said on Sunday.
“The occupiers must be held accountable for this terror in court and in history. They are already confronted with the strength of our warriors,” said Zelensky.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, told Zelenskyy: “Our guys are doing great on all fronts,” but called on Ukraine’s Western partners, including the United States, Britain and France, to deliver supplies more quickly.
“There is no vacation in war,” said Syrskyi.
This story has been updated with additional information.
