Ukraine has made further progress in its counteroffensive in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
“At the moment, our forces control more than 1,250 square kilometers of enemy territory and 92 settlements,” Zelensky said during a speech to Ukrainian diplomats and officials.
Zelensky’s figures on territorial gains exceed most previous estimates by military observers and are difficult to confirm. Most experts admit that their estimates are incorrect due to the limited amount of visual material. In particular, the Ukrainian armed forces publish very little so as not to jeopardize their advance.
In his speech, Zelensky noted that a key tactical goal — reducing the threat to Ukraine’s Sumy border region — had been successfully achieved. He also stressed that the offensive had resulted in the largest capture of Russian soldiers since the beginning of the war.
Zelensky indicated that these captured soldiers are expected to be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war. However, observers estimate that Russia has captured more Ukrainian prisoners than Ukraine has captured Russian soldiers during the conflict.
Zelensky described the offensive as a major success and said critics would view a counteroffensive on Russian soil as crossing “the strictest of all red lines that Russia has.”
Ukraine, which has been fighting off a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly two and a half years, launched a counteroffensive about two weeks ago, advancing into Russia’s western region of Kursk. Russia still occupies large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
