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Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast has resulted in around 6,000 casualties on the side of the Russian Armed Forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Sept. 6.
Since launching the incursion on Aug. 6, Ukraine controls "a significant part of the territory," stretching over 1,300 square kilometers, including around 100 settlements, Zelensky told Kyiv's allies, gathered in Ramstein for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting.
"Thanks to our actions, there is no threat to the city of Sumy as was the case in May against Kharkiv," Zelensky said.
Zelensky was referring to the offensive Russia launched on May 10 to the northeast of Kharkiv. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, said later in May that Russian forces may launch a similar offensive in Sumy Oblast, which neighbors Kursk Oblast.
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi also said in an interview with CNN, published on Sept. 5, that Russia was planning an offensive from Kursk Oblast before Ukrainian forces launched operations there.
Russia nonetheless continues to deploy its most effective units in Ukraine, primarily Donetsk Oblast, demonstrating a "clear choice by Moscow."
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin doesn't care about Russian land and people, he just wants to grab as much of our land and as many of our cities as possible," Zelensky said. "He wants our cities, or the ruins that remain of them."
The Kursk incursion also shows that "Russia's attempts to draw red lines simply do not work," Zelensky added.
Zelensky previously said on Aug. 19 that Kyiv did not disclose preparations for the operation in Kursk Oblast to its allies because the world might consider it crossing Russia's "strictest of all red lines."
The concept of Russia's red lines, "which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners," crumbled "somewhere near Sudzha," Zelensky said.
Asami Terajima
