The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine’s operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast helped prevent the occupation of a part of the Sumy Oblast and the city of Sumy.
As announced during a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonite in Kyiv, Zelenskyy noted that he is positive regarding the current status of the Ukrainian incursion.
“I see very positively how the operation is going in this direction. The operation is complicated, and it is important that it goes according to our plan,” Zelenskyy said.
”There are several results of this operation, I can’t talk about all of them. First of all, the exchange fund [of prisoners of war]. This is something that we can talk about openly. It is being replenished, which is a positive thing,” the President of Ukraine said.
In addition, Zelenskyy noted that through the incursion, Ukraine has managed to prevent a Russian strike aimed at the Sumy Oblast, and with it, the city of Sumy itself.
”The second result is to stop the Russian Federation’s operation in the north, a preventive strike, we have accomplished this task. We prevented the encirclement of a part of the Sumy Oblast and the desire to occupy the capital of the oblast, the city of Sumy,” Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that the goals of the operation in the Kursk Oblast were greater than he could publicly say, and expressed his belief that these goals would be achieved.
The President of Ukraine also described one of the goals of the operation as “to show the reality of who Putin is.”
“To show their society also what is more expensive for them – the occupation of the territory of Ukraine or the protection of their population. And I am very glad that everything I told my partners about – we have shown it in practice now. He is still thinking how to hold on to the occupied territories and does not think how to properly protect his people. He is bombing his villages now. Just bravo, his people there are in shock that they believed in this demon. Understand what kind of face he is showing to his society now,” Zelenskyy said.
Related:
- ISW: Russia shifting troops from Chasiv Yar to Kursk Oblast
- Russia transfers conscript soldiers from Siberia to Kursk Oblast
- Ukraine destroys Russian pontoon crossing in Kursk Oblast with drone strikes
- Senator Kelly: Ukrainian incursion could shift dynamics of ongoing war
- ISW: Russian forces likely to launch counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, redeploying troops to region
