According to his Telegram channel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the border area of Sumy Oblast on 22 August, where he held a meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and the head of the Sumy military administration, Volodymyr Artiukh.
During the visit, Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian forces have captured another settlement in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and taken more Russian prisoners of war (POWs).
According to Zelenskyy, the Commander-in-Chief reported on the operational situation in all areas of active operations, particularly in the most intense front line directions. Steps to strengthen defense in Donetsk Oblast’s Toretsk and Pokrovsk directions were also discussed, where Russia continues offensive actions for months.
The head of the Sumy Oblast military administration reported a decrease in artillery shelling and civilian casualties in the region since the start of the Kursk operation. This aligns with Zelenskyy’s earlier claim that the main objective of the operation is to create a buffer zone in Russia to protect Ukrainian border communities from Russian shelling.
Zelenskyy said that special attention was given to coordinating actions between the military, police, and emergency services in the border area, particularly for organizing humanitarian convoys to designated areas of Kursk Oblast.
Earlier, Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi had reported that Ukrainian defense forces had advanced 28 to 35 kilometers into enemy defenses in Kursk Oblast, taking control of 1,263 square kilometers of territory and 93 settlements.
Syrskyi also noted that Ukrainian defense forces are conducting active combat operations along a front line stretching almost 1,040 kilometers. Additionally, Ukrainian military forces are securing sections of the state border with Russia, Belarus, and Moldova along a 2,393-kilometer stretch.
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