Kiev [Ukraine], August 19: Ukrainian troops are consolidating their positions in the southern Russian region of Kursk, President Volodomyr Zelensky said on Sunday, as Moscow's forces advanced in eastern Ukraine.
"The operation is unfolding exactly as we expected," said Zelensky in Kiev, almost two weeks after Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border offensive. "Now, we are strengthening our positions," he added. Ukraine is believed to be in control of dozens of villages and towns in Kursk, and it has also been capturing Russian prisoners of war, hoping to exchange them for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians held in Russia.
While the Defence Ministry in Moscow stated it had repelled further Ukrainian attacks on Sunday, Russian military bloggers confirmed Ukraine was consolidating its positions and said it is bringing further equipment over the border. Kiev's unprecedented advance into Russia comes more than two years since Moscow's full-scale invasion, which was launched in February 2022.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian air force reported the destruction of a second bridge over the Seim River, threatening to encircle Russian troops in Kursk. Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk published a video of the hit on a bridge near the village of Zvannoe, north-west of Glushkovo, where another bridge was destroyed on Friday.
According to Russian military bloggers, only one bridge remains in the Glushkovo area for supplying Russian troops. The bridge is near the village of Karyzh, which lies 6km west of Zvannoe.
Military observer Jan Matveyev said in a video that the position of Russian troops in the area was deteriorating.
"If the Russian soldiers do not withdraw, they will be surrounded. If they do withdraw, they will leave a large area unprotected," he said.
Amid the fighting in Kursk, Russia said its forces were advancing in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk on Sunday.
The Defence Ministry in Moscow said its soldiers have taken the village of Svyrydonivka in Pokrovsk district, which has seen heavy fighting in recent days. The Ukrainian mapping project DeepState also reported Russian advances, including in the town of Mykolaivka in Kramatorsk district.
Source: Qatar Tribune