Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi has defended the country’s military operations in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, stating that the goal is not to capture foreign territories but to protect Ukrainian lives and territory from Russian attacks, Ukrinform reports.
During a briefing on 13 August 2024, Tykhyi reiterated that Ukraine’s Armed Forces control about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, according to information presented at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters meeting by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Kursk incursion: experts debate Ukraine’s objectives as Kyiv consolidates blitz gains
Tykhyi emphasized that Ukraine has no interest in taking Kursk Oblast’s territory, saying,
“Unlike Russia, Ukraine doesn’t need what belongs to others. Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people.”
The spokesman highlighted the intensity of Russian attacks from the Kursk region, noting that since the beginning of summer, more than 2,000 strikes had been launched against Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast alone, including multiple rocket launchers, tube artillery, drones, 250 guided aerial bombs, and over a hundred missiles.
Tykhyi explained that Ukraine lacks sufficient long-range strike capabilities to defend against this terror, necessitating the use of Armed Forces to liberate border areas from Russian military contingents attacking Ukraine or covering the terror against Ukrainians.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that Ukraine’s Armed Forces fully comply with the laws and customs of war and international humanitarian law. He reiterated that the operation’s targets are solely military forces and contingents.
Citing President Zelensky, Tykhyi stated that it is entirely fair for the war to return to Russian territory, as Russia brought this war to Ukraine. He added that the sooner Russia agrees to a just peace, including based on Ukraine’s Peace Formula, the sooner Ukraine’s defense forces’ raids on Russian territory will cease.
Tykhyi warned that Moscow might fabricate incidents for propaganda, including using Russian troops in Ukrainian uniforms, and urged Ukraine’s partners to stay vigilant.
Related:
- Kirby calls Putin’s “West v. Russia” claim about Ukraine’s Kursk incursion “horse-hockey”
- Kursk incursion: experts debate Ukraine’s objectives as Kyiv consolidates blitz gains
- Ukraine’s Security Service warns that Russian FSB is about to stage war crimes to blame Ukraine
- Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi says Ukraine controls nearly 1,000 square kilometers of Russia
- DeepState: The Ukrainian army controls 44 Russian settlements, according to conservative estimates
- US seeks to understand goals and strategy of Ukraine’s Kursk incursion
- Putin demands that the Russian Ministry of Defense “squeeze out the enemy” from the Kursk region
