Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country’s troops were “moving further” into Russia’s Kursk region and claimed that hundreds of Russian soldiers had been captured or surrendered.
In the biggest offensive by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II, Kyiv said it controls 74 settlements in southwestern Russia. Separately, Ukraine targeted four Russian airfields overnight with drones in the "largest attack" of its kind since Moscow invaded Ukraine’s eastern flank 2½ years ago.
As the Kursk incursion stretched into its second week, Zelenskyy said on social media, "We are moving further. From one to two kilometers in different areas since the beginning of the day."
In his Tuesday evening televised statement, Zelenskyy said, "Hundreds of Russian servicemen have already surrendered, and all of them will receive humane treatment — they did not experience such treatment even in their own Russian army." Moscow has not commented on reports of Russians surrendering.
Russian authorities have acknowledged Ukrainian gains in the region but said they have repelled efforts by Ukrainian forces to push deeper into the area.
"We have proven once again that we, Ukrainians, are capable of achieving our goals in any situation — capable of defending our interests and our independence,” Zelenskyy said.
He said Ukraine’s capture of the Russian soldiers would "speed up the return home of our boys and girls" in an eventual prisoner swap.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it is creating a "security zone" in Russia's Kursk region and plans to organize humanitarian assistance and evacuation corridors for civilians looking to go either to Russia or Ukraine.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine also planned to organize access to the area for international humanitarian organizations.
Footage from the Ukrainian TSN news outlet purportedly taken inside the Kursk region town of Sudzha showed Ukrainian soldiers climbing atop a building and removing a Russian flag, shouting "Glory to Ukraine!"
Asked Tuesday about Ukraine’s action, U.S. President Joe Biden said he’s been briefed every four to five hours for the last six to eight days on Ukraine’s action.
"It’s creating a real dilemma for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," he said of the operation, which appeared to have caught the Russians by surprise.
Don Jensen, a senior adviser on Russia and Europe at the U.S. Institute of Peace, agreed that Russia has been scrambling to respond.
"People around the world will note that Ukraine has really showed skill, great operational security ... excellent planning and, above all, excellent execution of that plan," Jensen said.
"The bottom line is that Ukraine has surprised the world again, showing Russia’s weak spots," Jensen said. "Russia reacted very slowly and uncoordinated to the incursion, and not surprisingly, the Kremlin is shaking in its boots."
Meanwhile, with Ukraine continuing its attack on Kursk, the neighboring Russian region of Belgorod declared a state of emergency, as the governor warned the situation there was "extremely difficult" because of Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks.
An Agence France-Presse analysis of data provided by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War indicated Ukrainian troops had advanced over an area of at least 800 square kilometers (309 square miles) of Russia as of Monday.
More than 120,000 Russians have fled their homes in border areas of the Kursk region.
But Russia said it had halted attempts by Ukrainian forces to push deeper into Kursk region in five areas.
“The attempts by enemy mobile units using armored equipment to break through deeper into Russian territory have been repelled," its Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine said Tuesday it would not hold on to Russian land it captured and offered to stop raids if Moscow agreed to a "just peace."
"The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace ... the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defense forces into Russia will stop," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy said. But no peace talks are underway or scheduled.
Since launching its invasion in February 2022, Russia has captured territory in southern and eastern Ukraine and subjected Ukrainian cities to missile and drone barrages.
Putin has vowed to "dislodge" Ukrainian troops from Russian territory, accusing Ukraine of using the operation to "improve its negotiating position" in any eventual peace talks with Moscow.
Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
