Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the purpose of the entry of Ukrainian troops into Russia’s Kursk region is to create a ‘buffer zone’ there, so that Moscow can be prevented from crossing the border and attacking. Zelensky has clearly stated for the first time the intention of this bold operation launched on August 6 in the Kursk region. Earlier he had said that the purpose of the operation was to save people in the border Sumy region from the continuous shelling from Russia.
Zelensky said, “Overall, our priority in defensive operations now is to destroy Russia’s combat capability as much as possible and to deliver maximum retaliation. This includes our operation in the Kursk region, which aims to create a ‘buffer zone’ on the territory of the aggressor.” According to officials, Ukraine intensified its cross-border offensive as part of an operation launched on August 6, destroying a key bridge in the Kursk region and attacking a nearby bridge last weekend, disrupting supplies to Russia.
A pro-Russian blogger on military affairs believed the destruction of a bridge over the Seym River near the town of Glushkovo had disrupted Russian forces’ supplies to counter Ukraine’s invasion, although Russia could still use ‘pontoons’ and smaller bridges. Ukraine’s air force chief Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk released a video of an airstrike on Friday showing the bridge shattered into two pieces. It comes less than two days after Ukrainian troops attacked a second bridge in Russia, according to Oleshchuk and Russian regional governor Alexei Smirnov. Ukraine had previously given little information about the scope and targets of its attack into Russia with tanks and other armoured vehicles.
It was the biggest attack on Russia since World War II, taking Russia by surprise and leading to Ukraine seizing several villages and hundreds of prisoners. Zelensky said the Ukrainian army had achieved “good and much-needed results.” Zelensky is seeking permission from Western countries to use weapons provided by them to strike targets deeper inside Russian territory. The Ukrainian president on Saturday urged Kiev’s allies to lift remaining restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike targets in the region, including Kursk. He said if Ukrainian troops gained the ability to strike targets at a sufficient distance, they could prevent Russian forces “from advancing further and causing additional destruction.”
