Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast is likely to be "very limited" in terms of time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a visit to Moldova on Aug. 21, Tagesspiegel reported.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion entered its third week. According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.
According to Scholz, Ukraine prepared its operation "very secretly" and "without any feedback."
Ukraine did not disclose preparations for an operation to the country's allies because the world might consider it crossing Russia's "strictest of all red lines," President Volodymyr Zelensky had said earlier.
He also said that Ukraine would not have needed to launch the incursion into Kursk Oblast if partners had allowed Kyiv to use Western-supplied long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil.
Berlin has long opposed lifting the ban on Ukraine's use of Western weapons to target Russia but reversed course in late May amid growing calls to lift the restrictions.
The Bundestag's Defense Committee Chair Marcus Faber said that German-supplied equipment may be used in Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast.
Scholz did not answer whether weapons provided by Berlin could have been used in Kyiv's operation, the newspaper reported.
"This is a very limited operation in terms of space and probably also in terms of time. But at this moment, any further comments are out of the question. We will certainly be able to assess all of this as more time passes," Scholz said.
Kyiv said that rather than capturing Russian territory, the incursion aims to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.
Chris York
(Updated: )
