Ukrainian president details reasons behind Kursk military operation

"Regarding long-range capabilities, it was precisely this lack that forced us to think,” he said in an interview on Sept. 5. 

“To think every second: what is our alternative? And this led to the operation in Kursk Oblast. And, by the way, a successful operation."

Ukraine lacked long-range weapons, but Ukrainian intelligence provided information that Russia was planning to create a buffer zone along the border and was preparing an offensive in northern Ukraine, according to the head of state.

"Even openly, Putin and his entourage stated that they want to build a buffer zone along our border of some kilometers deep into our state," said Zelenskyy.

“And we understood that they would not stop… For us, this would be a very serious challenge. I know they have not abandoned these plans. And then we understood that we need to conduct an operation accordingly, so that the buffer zone is not created by them in [our territory], but by us.”

Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Oblast

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Aug. 12 for the first time the Defense Forces’ operation in Kursk Oblast. He emphasized that the goal of the operation, which began on Aug. 6, is to liberate Ukraine’s border territories from Russian troops that regularly shelled Sumy Oblast.

The authorities of Kursk Oblast acknowledged the loss of 28 settlements on Aug. 12. Among the settlements under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is Sudzha, where the last functioning transfer point for Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe is located.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated on Aug. 20 that Ukraine controls 1,263 square kilometers and 93 settlements in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Zelenskyy reported on Aug. 25, that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to advance.

Syrskyi stated on Aug. 27 that Russia had transferred about 30,000 troops to the Kursk front from Ukrainian territories. According to him, Ukraine now controls 100 settlements and 1,294 square kilometers of Kursk Oblast territory, and 594 Russian soldiers have been captured.

BILD reported on Aug. 29 that the Armed Forces of Ukraine recently took control of the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe on the banks of the Seym River. Thus, even without taking Korenevo, they completely closed the eastern border of the “pocket,” where about 3,000 Russian soldiers are trapped. From the south and west, it is blocked by the state border, and from the north, by the Seym River.

General Syrskyi announced on Aug. 30 that Ukrainian forces advanced two kilometers on the Kursk front within a day.

Zelenskyy announced on Sept. 2 that the operation in Kursk Oblast was proceeding according to plan and achieving its objectives. Ukrainian defenders have captured over 600 Russian soldiers.

The President of Ukraine reported on Sept. 4 that the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kursk Oblast continues to be the largest source of replenishment for the prisoner exchange fund.