Missile strikes against Ukraine launched from Russian border regions deserve "a fair response," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Aug. 11.
Russian forces launched over 50 drones and four missiles at Ukraine overnight on Aug. 10-11. One missile strike in Kyiv Oblast killed a father and his four-year-old son.
"Russians launched them from Voronezh Oblast," Zelensky said, referring to the ballistic missiles.
"We are recording all the places from which the Russian army strikes, including Belgorod Oblast, Kursk Oblast, and other areas. ... We record every missile strike. And each of these strikes deserves a fair response."
Zelensky's promise to respond to Russian border areas, including Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, comes as Ukrainian troops continue to advance on the sixth day of their surprise incursion into Russian territory.
Ukrainian troops entered Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, triggering a state of emergency in Russia.
Ukrainian media reported on Aug. 10 that Ukrainian troops had apparently entered Belgorod Oblast, expanding the incursion into another Russian region. Russian authorities on the same day launched a "counter-terrorism operation" in bordering Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk oblasts.
Kyiv has largely maintained a policy of silence on the offensive, but Zelensky on Aug. 10 acknowledged that Ukrainian troops had moved into Russia, saying that the military was pushing "the war out into the aggressor's territory" in order to "restore justice."
Francis Farrell
