Ukraine advances deep into Kursk and attacks the airport, Russia sends reinforcements

However, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Kiev had no intention of seizing the territory, but wanted to prevent Russia from using Kursk to fire missiles into Ukraine's Sumy region, the largest foreign incursion into Russian territory since World War II.

Russian 122mm Grad self-propelled multiple rocket launcher fires towards Ukrainian positions. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense

The battle was fierce, both sides suffered many losses.

Ukraine also launched its largest attack on Russian military airfields, the Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday. Ukrainian drones targeted four Russian airfields overnight, a Ukrainian security official told the Associated Press. Kiev also said it destroyed a Russian Su-34 bomber jet used to attack Ukrainian frontline positions.

Ukraine's military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said they had captured hundreds of Russian soldiers in the past week, including more than 100 on Wednesday alone, whom President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he intended to exchange for Ukrainian prisoners.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian army had lost 270 servicemen and 16 armored vehicles, including two tanks, while 18 servicemen had surrendered. According to the ministry, Ukraine has lost more than 2,300 troops since the fighting began in the Kursk region.

Russia sent troops from the fronts to reinforce Kursk.

According to Major General Apti Alaudinov, Deputy Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces and Commander of the Akhmat Special Forces, Russia has stabilized the situation in the region. The blockade of Ukrainian forces entering the country is currently being implemented.

Russia is now believed to be withdrawing reserve forces from fronts in Zaporizhzhia, Crimea and Kharkiv to help counter Ukrainian advances in the Kursk region, Ukrainian military commander Dymtro Kholod said on Wednesday.

Members of the Russian marine assault team move on motorbikes towards Ukrainian positions. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry

Lithuania's Defense Minister, Laurynas Kasciunas, announced that Russia has moved some troops from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, where Moscow holds strategic territory on the Baltic coast.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of using the incursion to gain leverage in future peace talks. However, on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Rodion Miroshnik said Moscow would not take part in such talks because of the attack on Kursk.

Russia's neighboring Belgorod region also declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after facing heavy shelling from Ukraine. The situation is "extremely difficult and tense," Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from Russian border regions, including about 11,000 from Belgorod, according to Russian officials.

Bui Huy (according to TASS, AFP, Foreignpolicy)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ukraine-tien-sau-vao-kursk-va-tan-cong-cac-san-bay-nga-khan-cap-dieu-quan-tiep-vien-post307746.html