Ukrainian forces have advanced 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast and taken control of 93 settlements, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported at an event chaired by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 20.
According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory to date. These figures could not be independently verified by the Kyiv Independent.
The Ukrainian military's unprecedented operation, ongoing for nearly two weeks, has led to the capture of the town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast and the alleged destruction of all three bridges over the Seim River near the border with Ukraine.
Syrskyi described the wider front line situation as challenging, with Ukrainian Defense Forces engaged along a 1,040-kilometer (649-mile) front.
He noted that Ukrainian efforts are concentrated in the Slobozhanskyi direction, which includes Kharkiv, Sumy, and Luhansk oblasts, as well as in the Donetsk and Tavriia directions, encompassing Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson oblasts.
He added that the Russian army is conducting a maneuver defense, shifting forces from other areas to block Ukrainian advances.
The operation in Kursk Oblast aims to create a security zone, halt shelling of civilian areas in Sumy Oblast, and outpace the enemy.
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.
Chris York
(Updated: )
