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.
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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.