During the Kursk operation, Ukraine took control of 1,294 square kilometres, or one hundred settlements, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyy said during the Ukraine 2024. Independence forum.
The defence forces took 594 Russian soldiers prisoner. The enemy is trying to counteract and is massing troops, including from other directions.
‘They are trying to create a ring of defence around our offensive group and are planning counter-offensive actions,’ said Syrskyy.
Further actions of the Ukrainian army in this area will depend on the operational situation.
The Chief of Defence also named the objectives of the operation.
‘Every day, the Russian Federation fired at our border villages from the Kursk direction. We suffered numerous losses, dozens of settlements were destroyed. In addition, the enemy concentrated a significant part of its troops in this area and planned to conduct an offensive operation in this direction. In order to create a security zone, stop shelling from the Russian Federation, protect civilian objects in Sumy Region and outrun the enemy, on 6 August, the Defence Forces launched an offensive operation in the Kursk sector,’ he explained.
- Kyiv officially announced the Kursk operation on 12 August. A military commandant's office is set up in the controlled areas to maintain law and order and meet the needs of civilians.
- On 24 February, Ukraine conducted the first exchange of Russian prisoners captured in the Kursk sector. It exchanged conscripts.