Politics Selenskyj: Kiev controls large area in Russia

Ukraine has made further gains in its counter-offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. "As of today, our forces control more than 1,250 square kilometers of enemy territory and 92 localities," said Zelenskyi during an appearance before Ukrainian diplomats and officials. A tactical objective, the reduction of the threat to the Ukrainian border region of Sumy, had thus been achieved. In addition, the offensive was the greatest success in terms of the capture of Russian soldiers since the beginning of the war, Selensky explained.

According to him, the Russians will later be exchanged for Ukrainians taken prisoner of war. According to observers, Russia has captured more Ukrainians in the course of the war to date than vice versa.

Selensky: No one would have thought the offensive possible

Selensky described the offensive as a great success. A few months ago, nobody would have thought this possible. Critics would have rejected any thoughts of this kind as crossing the "reddest of Russia's red lines". That is why the preparations were made in secret. However, the current success clearly shows Vladimir "Putin's inability to protect his territory" from such counter-attacks. It had also led to a rethink among Western partners, said Selensky, who continued to call on his diplomats to actively solicit weapons aid.

Selensky's statements on the territorial gains go beyond most previous estimates by military observers. A few days ago, for example, the independent internet portal Meduza estimated that 862 square kilometers of territory had been gained in the embattled Kursk region on the basis of photo and video footage. However, most experts themselves admit the inaccuracy of their estimates, as there is little photographic material available. The Ukrainian armed forces in particular publish very little so as not to jeopardize their advance.

SDA