Volodymyr Zelensky hails Ukraine attack ‘pushing the war’ into Russia
- The president had previously alluded to the cross-border incursion into Kursk, but this is the first time he has directly acknowledged it
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday acknowledged for the first time the recent offensive into the western Russian border region of Kursk, referring to actions “pushing the war into the aggressor’s territory”.
Zelensky had previously stayed silent about the operation.
In his nightly video address, the president said he had discussed the operation with top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, while not forgetting the battles troops face on the difficult eastern front.
“Today, I received several reports from commander-in-chief Syrskyi regarding the front lines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor’s territory,” he said.
“I am grateful to every unit of the defence forces for ensuring that. Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor.”
Russia said Ukrainian forces pushed into Kursk region last Tuesday and Russian military bloggers have acknowledged they made some headway, while saying the situation had since stabilised.