For the first time, the Ukrainian government has acknowledged that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting an offensive in the Kursk region. Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Rustem Umierov and Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, attended a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 12, 2024, where this information was discussed. Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated that Ukrainian troops have gained control over approximately 1,000 km² of Russian territory. The meeting focused on defensive actions on the front lines and the operation in the Kursk oblast. President Zelensky instructed relevant government officials to prepare a humanitarian plan for the territory of the operation. Active fighting has been taking place in the Russian Kursk oblast since August 6, with the Ukrainian General Staff yet to comment on the details of the operation.

Analysts from DeepState claim that the Ukrainian advance in the Kursk region has affected 44 settlements, with an additional 10 settlements whose status is yet to be determined. However, these numbers are considered conservative, and the actual gain may be even larger. The situation on the ground is difficult to confirm, with photographs and videos not providing conclusive evidence. Sudzha, a district center housing an important gas metering station for gas transit to Europe through Ukraine, is also believed to be under Ukrainian control. The extent of the Russian army’s loss of control in the region and the scale of the Ukrainian operation remain undisclosed.

ملخص الأخبار

• الرئيس الأوكراني أشاد بقواته وأوجه القيادة على الخطوط الأمامية وفي منطقة كورسك.
• الذكرى عند التقرير الذي قاده الفريق أول ألكسندر سيرسكي عن الإجراءات الدفاعية والعمليات في منطقة كورسك.
• المعركة النشطة في إقليم كورسك الروسي منذ ٦ أغسطس.
• الرصاص الأوكراني يبدو أنه قد فقد الكثير من السيطرة في الإقليم، كما يبدو أنه قد فقد السيطرة في منطقة زودجا.