Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukrainian forces have advanced into the Russian region of Kursk in order to prevent Russia from occupying the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy. Zelenskyy stated that Russia was preparing an invasion of the Kharkiv region, and their goal was to occupy millions of people in the city of Kharkiv. He claimed that the incursion into Kursk was launched preventively to disrupt this offensive by Russia. The Ukrainian president revealed that Ukrainian troops had advanced up to three kilometers and taken control of two settlements, although he did not specify which ones.
The news of the Ukrainian forces advancing into Kursk comes after a British national working for Reuters was killed in a Russian strike on a hotel in Kramatorsk. Ryan Evans, a safety advisor, was found under the rubble after a missile hit the Hotel Sapphire, where four of his colleagues were also injured. Two of the injured were being treated in the hospital, with injuries ranging from blast injuries, concussion, and cuts. Local officials confirmed that the hotel had been hit by an Iskander ballistic missile, leaving the building in rubble and debris, with excavators being used to clear the area.
In addition to the developments in Kursk and Kramatorsk, residents in the Sumy region, near the Kursk border, are facing constant shelling by Russian forces. Vadim Mysnik, a spokesperson for the Siversk Operational and Tactical Group, reported that most of the strikes were targeting civilians and included attacks with KAB guided bombs. Further south in the Donetsk region, evacuations are ongoing as the Russian army advances quickly in eastern Ukraine. People have been forced to leave frontline villages and towns to escape the shelling, leaving homes and businesses abandoned.
Despite Zelenskyy’s claim that the incursion into Kursk was intended to prevent attacks on Ukrainian cities, Russia has continued to target border regions with missile strikes. The Ukrainian air force reported overnight strikes in several frontline regions, including Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk, resulting in casualties. Ukrainian military and regional authorities stated that Russian attacks had killed at least four people and injured 37 others. The air force also reported that most of the missiles aimed at the targets did not reach their intended destinations, without specifying the number of missiles destroyed.
The situation in Ukraine remains tense as Ukrainian forces continue to push into Russian territory in Kursk while facing ongoing attacks and shelling in various regions along the border. The conflict has resulted in casualties and forced evacuations of civilians from frontline areas. Zelenskyy’s government is working to defend Ukrainian territory and prevent further Russian aggression, but the situation remains volatile with ongoing violence and destruction. The international community is closely monitoring the developments in Ukraine and calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict to avoid further escalation and loss of life.
