AFP: Ukraine halts Russian counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, says Ukrainian colonel

Ukrainian forces have halted a Russian counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, part of which is currently under Ukrainian control, Colonel Oleksii Dmytrashkivsky, Spokesperson for the military command serving in Kursk Oblast, told Agence France-Presse.

The initial reports on a Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Oblast started emerging on 6 August on Russian Telegram channels and military bloggers. Ukraine officially confirmed the operation on 12 August.

As of 6 September, Ukrainian forces said it controlled at least 1,300 square kilometers and 100 settlements in the region and took over 600 Russian soldiers prisoner. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had redeployed approximately 60,000 of its troops from other fronts in Ukraine to Kursk Oblast.

The incursion surprised both the Russians and Ukraine’s allies, revealing vulnerabilities in Russia’s military despite its manpower and equipment advantage.

Ukraine secured a portion of Russian territory near Sumy Oblast, pushing Russian artillery out of range and stopping cross-border shelling on nearby communities. According to Dmytrashkivsky, the Russians attempted to attack from the flanks, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces halted them. The situation is now stable and under control. However, Dmytrashkivsky noted that the Russian army did achieve some success in this counteroffensive.

“The Russians entered one of the settlements. They started fighting for another settlement, but that was it,” said the military command spokesperson.

He said that since late August, Russian strikes in the area have killed 23 civilians.

Dmytrashkivsky mentioned that there are several thousand Russian civilians in the areas controlled by Ukrainian forces. He said they are “not allowed to leave” because “the situation must be controlled” but are allowed to “move around” the area.

They can “visit each other, eat there, unite somewhere, dig potatoes now, work in the garden,” he explained.

According to him, the only way to allow civilians to leave for Russian-controlled territory would be if Ukraine and Russia “agreed through international organizations dealing with these issues to open a green corridor under the supervision of observers.”

On 12 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian troops started a counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported on the counteroffensive, claiming that within two days, the Russian army regained control of ten settlements, repelled two Ukrainian attacks, and thwarted their attempt to break through in two other settlements.

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