Ukrainian forces have advanced 1 to 3 kilometers in some areas of Russia's Kursk Oblast, further capturing two more settlements in the region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Aug. 25.
Zelensky, who received the information from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, did not detail which settlements were captured by Ukrainian forces, but did note that fighting is ongoing to capture one additional settlement.
Ukraine started its incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6.
As of Aug. 20, the Ukrainian military said it controlled 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) and 93 settlements, including the town of Sudzha. The numbers do not account for the additional advancements made up to Aug. 25, which have not yet been provided by Ukraine's military.
On Aug. 24, Zelensky said that Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast has helped prevent the occupation of neighboring Sumy Oblast and its regional center, the city of Sumy.
Zelensky positively assessed the operation's progress in Kursk Oblast, adding: "The operation is complex, it is important that it is going according to our plan."
The president said that he could not disclose all the goals and results of the operation, but one of them was to replenish stocks of Russian prisoners of war who can be exchanged for Ukrainian POWs in Russia.
The estimates of Russian captives, taken by Ukraine during the Kursk Oblast, ranging from several hundred to 2,000. Ukraine declined to provide a full number of Russian captives taken during the ongoing operation following the Kyiv Independent's request.
On Aug. 10, the Russian government announced a "counter-terrorist operation" in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, which border Ukraine, and began evacuations in these regions, including to Russian-occupied areas in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Crimea.
Dmytro Basmat
(Updated: )
