Russia announced that it would block Ukraine's advance in Kursk.
Moscow said it had repelled Ukrainian forces' attempt to advance deeper in Kursk province, while Mr. Zelensky said Kiev continued to attack.
"Attempts by the enemy's mobile and armored units to break through deeper into Russian territory have been repelled," the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today. The agency said Ukraine's advance had been stopped in five regions of Kursk province, western Russia.
The statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's forces had advanced further into Russian territory.
"We continue to advance deeper in Kursk, adding 1-2 km depending on the area since the beginning of today. We also captured more than 100 more Russian prisoners of war during the same period," Mr. Zelensky wrote in the Telegram post, along with a video of army commander Oleksandr Syrsky reporting the battlefield situation.
President Zelensky expressed hope that capturing prisoners of war on Russian soil will contribute to "speeding up the process of returning our soldiers," seemingly referring to the prisoner exchange agreement.
On the morning of August 6, Ukrainian troops flooded across the Russian border with tanks and armored vehicles, marking the largest incursion since the conflict between the two countries broke out in late February 2022. President Zelensky on August 13 announced that this country's forces controlled 74 residential areas in Kursk province. Military officials estimate that Ukraine controls more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.
Commander Syrsky also said Ukrainian forces took control of the Russian border town of Sudzha. "The search and destruction of the enemy in Sudzha town has been completed," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously pledged to respond to Ukraine "with a proportionate response" and accused the West of helping carry out the campaign to attack Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy affirmed that the country's army has no intention of occupying Russian territory. "As soon as Russia agrees to restore a just peace, the offensive campaign on its territory will stop," Tykhy said.
