Zelensky said Ukraine has taken control of 92 settlements in Russia
Kyiv, Aug 20: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian army has taken control of 92 settlements in the Kursk region of western Russia.
Zelensky said on social media platform X on Monday that Ukrainian troops had seized more than 1,250 square kilometres of Russian territory, reports Xinhua news agency.
“The Russian border area opposite our Sumy region has been almost completely liberated from the Russian military presence,” the Ukrainian president said.
He said Ukrainian forces continue their military operation in designated areas of the Kursk region.
Kyiv’s unprecedented operation has been going on for two weeks, with Ukrainian forces seizing the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region and reportedly destroying all three bridges over the Seim river near the border.
The Kyiv Independent could not confirm Zelenskyy’s claims about the number of Russian territory seized.
Speaking at a meeting in the Dnipro city, the Ukrainian president said Ukraine continues to strengthen its positions, stabilize “some regions” and continues to take Russian servicemen as prisoners of war.
“This operation has become our biggest investment in the process of liberating Ukrainians from Russian captivity. We have already captured the largest number of Russian prisoners in a single operation,” he said, without elaborating.
Ukraine refused to give the full number of Russian detainees captured during the Kursk offensive following a request from the Kyiv Independent.
Zelenskyy said “hundreds” of Russian servicemen had been captured by August 13, while an unnamed Ukrainian colonel told The Independent news outlet the number could be as high as 2,000.
The Russian border near Ukraine’s Sumy region has been “largely cleared of Russian troops”, which Zelensky described as one of the strategic goals of Kiev’s offensive.
Ukraine launched a military operation in the Kursk region on August 6.
On August 15, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirsky said his forces had seized 82 settlements in the region.
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