Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a bold and unprecedented move by acknowledging that his military is conducting a cross-border offensive inside Russia’s western Kursk region. This marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
In a video address late on Saturday, President Zelensky declared that Ukraine’s military was pushing the war onto “the aggressor’s territory”. The surprise attack, launched on Tuesday, has seen Ukrainian forces advance more than 10km inside Russia – the deepest raid since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The fighting has intensified, with Russian drones and missiles targeting the capital Kyiv and several other regions in Ukraine. President Zelensky praised Ukraine’s “warriors” and discussed the operation in Russia with the country’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, emphasizing that Ukraine is determined to restore justice and pressure the aggressor.
Russia has struggled to halt the Ukrainian advance, leading to the evacuation of over 76,000 people from the Kursk region and the imposition of a “counter-terror” regime in three border areas. The situation remains tense, with reports of injuries on both sides and ongoing clashes in the region.
The conflict has also raised concerns about the safety of the Kursk nuclear power plant, located near the front lines. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on both Russia and Ukraine to exercise maximum restraint to prevent a potential nuclear accident with serious radiological consequences.
As the situation continues to unfold, the world watches closely to see how this latest development will impact the already volatile situation in Eastern Europe.
