Ukraine has captured 594 Russian soldiers during a three-week military operation in the Kursk region, securing 100 settlements within Russia, according to Kyiv’s commander-in-chief on Tuesday.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Moscow had redeployed 30,000 troops to the border area in an effort to counterattack and encircle Ukrainian forces, but these efforts were being successfully repelled.
Speaking at a Kyiv conference, Syrskyi acknowledged that a key objective of the Kursk incursion was to divert Russian combat units from eastern Ukraine.
Recent Russian advances have brought them within 7 miles (11km) of Pokrovsk, a vital Ukrainian military and transport hub, as they continue to press toward Kurakhove.
Syrskyi noted that some Russian troops have been moved from the occupied south. “The enemy is attempting to withdraw units from other directions but is intensifying efforts in the Pokrovsk sectors.”
He mentioned that Russia is trying to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines. “The situation on the Pokrovsk front is quite challenging … the enemy is leveraging its advantage in personnel, weapons, and military equipment, actively using artillery and aviation,” he admitted.
At a press conference on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that measures were being taken to bolster Ukraine’s forward positions in the Donetsk region. He described the Kursk incursion as “defensive,” aimed at preventing further Russian territorial gains without any intention of annexing Russian land.
Zelenskiy’s remarks coincided with renewed Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, including a fatal attack on a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, killing two people, and drone strikes in Zaporizhzhia, which claimed three more lives.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia had launched 10 ballistic missiles and 81 drones, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting five missiles and 60 drones.
Authorities in Kyiv claimed that all threats to the city had been neutralized, with explosions heard as air defenses successfully repelled the attack.
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Serhiy Lisak, a regional official, reported that one of the injured from the Kryvyi Rih hotel strike, a 43-year-old woman, was in critical condition, while two others remained missing, possibly trapped under the rubble.
Monday’s Russian assault, which targeted Ukraine’s energy grid, killed at least seven people and caused blackouts and water shortages, including in Kyiv. The state energy company, Ukrenergo, announced emergency power cuts to stabilize the grid, raising concerns as winter approaches.
The attack was met with widespread condemnation from Kyiv’s international allies. U.S. President Joe Biden called it “outrageous,” and Germany’s foreign ministry condemned Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine’s vital infrastructure.
Poland, a NATO member, reported a possible airspace violation by a drone during the barrage, which three radiolocation stations confirmed.
Following the attacks, Zelenskiy renewed his call for increased support from allies, suggesting that European air forces could collaborate with Ukraine’s F-16s and air defenses to protect civilian lives.
Reuters reported that one of their journalists remained in critical condition after a strike on Saturday, while a British security adviser working for the agency was killed in the same attack.
Ukraine’s operation in the Kursk region has provided a morale boost after months of stalemate and incremental losses. Unconfirmed reports from Russian Telegram channels suggested further Ukrainian incursions along the border, particularly in the Belgorod region, on Tuesday morning. These reports could not be immediately verified.
Belgorod’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, acknowledged the situation at the border as “difficult but under control,” urging the public to rely on official sources for information as Russian military operations continued.
