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Zelensky: Ukraine risks losing support from some ‘major powers’ if battlefield moves to Russian territory

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Zelensky: Ukraine risks losing support from some ‘major powers’ if battlefield moves to Russian territory
Ukrainian soldiers fire an SPG recoilless gun during military training in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 17, 2023. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Ukraine risks losing military support from some "major powers" if the battlefield in Russia's war against Ukraine moves to Russian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on Aug. 27.

When asked whether he thinks the war should move to Russia, Zelensky said there is a "big risk that we (Ukraine) will definitely be left alone."

According to the president, Ukraine is trying to improve its relations with states that both supported Ukraine from the very start of the full-scale invasion and also those at a "historical distance," noting that for the latter group entering Russian territory is a "sore issue."

"There are big states in our world, very big states, for whom there is only one point for which they are not on Russia's side – this is the territorial integrity of the state," Zelensky said. "If I deliberately direct my troops and decide to go to Russian territory, I must know for sure that this state will not be with me. And then you have to think about what is more important now for the people and Ukraine."

Numerous attacks have been reported on Russian soil, several of which Russian authorities claim were carried out by Ukraine.

Ukraine has not admitted to the attacks.

Earlier on Aug. 27, the governor of Russia's Kursk Oblast claimed a Ukrainian drone flew into a building in the city of Kursk. Ukraine has yet to comment on the accusation.

From Moscow to Novorossiysk: The list of attacks on Russian soil
On the morning of Aug. 4, the residents of the Russian city of Novorossiysk woke to a 112-meter-long Navy ship being towed back to port after it was hit by a drone attack on the Black Sea overnight. While the Russian Defense Ministry claimed there were no casualties or damage,
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While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

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