Ukrainian forces control about 1,000 square kilometers in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 12, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
As Kyiv's incursion continues into its seventh day, Syrskyi briefed President Volodymyr Zelensky on the "offensive operation" in Kursk Oblast. This marks the first time both Zelensky and Ukraine's military leadership directly confirmed Ukrainian soldiers' presence on Russian soil.
Until now, Kyiv has maintained a policy of silence on the incursion, despite the ongoing fighting and Ukraine advancing deeper into Russian territory.
"As of now, we control about 1000 square kilometers of the territory of the Russian Federation. The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting is ongoing actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control," Syrskyi said.
Russia's regional authorities said that Ukraine is in control of 28 settlements in Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 12, claiming that the incursion was up to 12 kilometers deep along a 40 kilometer front.
The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify these claims.
Zelensky said he had ordered Ukrainian ministers and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) "to prepare a humanitarian plan for the area of the operation," without elaborating.
In addition, he also tasked the officials and diplomats to present a list of necessary actions for Kyiv to obtain permission from its partners to use long-range weapons "to protect our territory."
After the incursion into Kursk Oblast, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that Washington hadn't changed its policy of allowing Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons "to target imminent threats just across the border." Separately, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the incursion had not violated U.S. policy.
Although reinforcements sent by Moscow have begun to arrive on the battlefield, Ukraine has reportedly continued to advance farther into Kursk Oblast. Russian authorities have been forced to announce widening civilian evacuation measures in a number of districts bordering Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
