Key developments on Aug. 27:
- Russia redeploys 30,000 troops to Kursk Oblast amid Ukraine's incursion, Syrskyi says
- Ukraine tests its first ballistic missile, Zelensky says
- Zelensky to present U.S. with victory plan in September
- Russia claims Ukraine attempting to break through to Belgorod Oblast
- Civilians killed, injured as Russia launches large-scale attack on Ukraine for second night in a row
One of the objectives of Ukraine's Kursk Oblast operation was to divert a significant number of Russian forces from other sectors, primarily from the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove sectors in Donetsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Aug. 27.
As Kyiv's incursion into Kursk Oblast enters its fourth week, Ukraine is in control of 1,294 square kilometers and 100 settlements, including the town of Sudzha, Syrskyi said. A total of 594 Russian soldiers have been captured, according to the general.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Speaking at the "Ukraine 2024. Independence" forum in Kyiv, Syrskyi said that Moscow has redeployed about 30,000 of its troops from other sectors to the Kursk direction, "and this number is growing." At the same time, Russia deployed its most combat-ready units in the Pokrovsk sector.
"The enemy is trying to withdraw units from other directions, and on the contrary, it is increasing its efforts in Pokrovsk sectors," Syrskyi said.
According to the general, Russia has reduced its activity in Ukraine's south, but continues to advance in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, trying to regain positions near the village of Robotyne. In partially occupied Kherson Oblast, Moscow's forces are trying to regain control of an island zone near the Dnipro River's delta, he said.
Kateryna Denisova
Ukraine tests its first ballistic missile, Zelensky says
Ukraine carried out a successful test of the first domestic-made ballistic missile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 27.
"It may be too early to talk about it but I want to share it with you," the president said at the Ukraine 2024 Independence forum in Kyiv.
Zelensky congratulated to the Ukrainian Defense Industry on the project but did not provide any further details on the weaponry.
A day earlier, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine is preparing a response to Russian aerial strikes with weapons of its own production.
"This once again proves that for victory, we need long-range capabilities and the lifting of restrictions on strikes on the enemy's military facilities," Umerov said. "Ukraine is preparing its own response. Weapons of its own production."
Zelensky previously revealed that Ukraine has developed a domestic-made missile-drone, Palianytsia. He said it has already been used against Russia.
Chris York
Zelensky to present U.S. with victory plan in September
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 27 that he would present U.S. President Joe Biden with a plan for victory during a meeting in September.
The president said that the proposal would also be presented to Vice President Kamala Harris and ex-President Donald Trump, the two candidates for the upcoming November presidential election.
Trump has claimed during his presidential campaign that he would end the war within 24 hours if elected, but has declined to provide details of the plan.
Speaking at the Ukraine 2024 Independence forum in Kyiv, Zelensky said that the ongoing Kursk incursion was one of the parts of this plan.
The other items include Ukraine's participation in the global security infrastructure, pressuring Russia to end the war through diplomatic means, and an economic aspect, Zelensky said without revealing any details.
The president said that he keeps bringing up the red lines Ukraine's Western allies have imposed on the use of weapons inside Russian territory.
"They don't want to talk about it, and I keep bringing it up," Zelensky quipped.
"The Olympics are over, but ping pong is still there."
Kyiv has long argued that restrictions on the use of long-range weapons are stifling its war effort, while Western partners believe that allowing Ukraine to hit deep into Russian territory with the weapons they provide could be a cause for escalation.
In May, the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, GMLRS rockets, and artillery against Russian territory near the Ukrainian border.
But the U.S. and U.K. still prohibit Ukraine from using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deeper inside Russia.
Ukraine has dismissed these arguments and has ramped up pressure to lift the ban in recent weeks following the Kursk incursion on Aug. 6.
Kateryna Denisova
Russia claims Ukraine attempting to break through to Belgorod Oblast
Ukrainian forces may be attempting to break through the border into Russia's Belgorod Oblast, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed on Aug. 27.
Kyiv has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
The statement comes as Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast reaches its three-week mark. Belgorod Oblast is lodged between Russia's Kursk and Voronezh regions and borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts.
"There is information that (Ukraine) is attempting to break through the border of Belgorod Oblast," Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel.
"According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the situation on the border remains difficult but under control."
Reports of the alleged attacks have also emerged on Russian Telegram channels.
According to the Mash channel, roughly 200 Ukrainian troops have attacked the border crossing at Nekhoteyevka and another 300 at Shebekino.
Another channel, Shot, claimed that Ukrainian forces had been pushed back from Nekhoteyevka after suffering losses and claimed that no clashes had taken place at Shebekino.
Shot pointed out that the front near Shebekino, which lies just across the border from the embattled Ukrainian town of Vovchansk, has been pushed further south after Russia launched its offensive into Kharkiv Oblast in May.
Nekhoteyevka also lies at the border of Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, some 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) from the Ukrainian settlement of Kozacha Lopan and around 30 kilometers (almost 20 miles) north of Kharkiv.
There have been multiple signs that Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast is spilling over to Belgorod Oblast. A unit of the Ukrainian 252nd Battalion appeared to have entered the village of Poroz on Aug. 10.
Russia also claimed that Ukraine unsuccessfully attacked the Kolotilovka border checkpoint on Aug. 12.
Previously, Shebekino became a key flashpoint during a cross-border incursion carried out last year by anti-Kremlin militias fighting on Ukraine's side.
Civilians killed, injured as Russia launches large-scale attack on Ukraine for second night in a row
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least eight people and injured at least 34 over the past day, regional authorities reported on Aug. 27.
Russia launched a combined wave of attacks against Ukraine for the second night in a row, reportedly using 81 Shahed-type attack drones and 10 missiles. A day before, Russia launched its largest aerial strike throughout the full-scale war, using over 230 missiles and drones.
From the overall tally, four people were killed and 16 injured only during the overnight strike on Aug. 27, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Overall, Russian forces launched three Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft, five Kh-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95 bomber planes, one Iskander-M ballistic missile, and one Iskander-K cruise missile, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said.
Five Kh-101 cruise missiles and 60 drones were intercepted by Ukrainian defenses, the commander noted.
Russia attacked Kyiv Oblast and Kyiv with drones and missiles, with an air raid alert ongoing for eight hours. No damage or victims were reported.
Around 10 attack drones and several missiles were downed near Kyiv, said city administration head Serhii Popko, adding that "everything that flew to the capital was destroyed."
Russian forces also targeted Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past day, resulting in three civilian deaths, regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported. At least two of the fatalities were recorded during drone attacks overnight on Aug. 27.
Five civilians were injured in the region, including an 86-year-old woman. Four of them are currently being treated in a local hospital.
Several homes were damaged by blast waves and debris from the attack, and a fire occurred in a field, Fedorov said, adding that at least 128 drones attacked the region over the past 24 hours.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, three people were killed and 13 injured over the past day, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
Eight of the injured and one fatality were reported during the day on Aug. 26 following Russian attacks against the Nikopol district.
Late at night, a Russian Iskander missile struck a hotel in the city of Kryvyi Rih, killing at least three people and injuring at least five, Lysak reported.
In Kharkiv Oblast, four people were injured when Russia struck an infrastructure facility with an Iskander missile, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast killed one person and injured 10 others, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
A critical infrastructure site, medical and educational institutions, high-rise buildings, houses, and other buildings were reportedly damaged.
One person was injured in Russian attacks against Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 26, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
Another civilian was injured during drone attacks in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, said Serhii Tiurin, the regional governor. Eight drones were downed over the oblast, with at least two houses catching fire as a result.
Dinara Khalilova
