100 settlements of Russia in the occupation of Ukraine, 600 Russian soldiers are prisoners
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to end more than two years of war with Russia. As part of which, he is going to present a 'victory plan' to US President Joe Biden and the candidates of the two main parties in the country's next presidential election. "The main goal of this plan is to force Russia to stop the war and to end the war in a way that is just for Ukraine," Zelensky said at a news conference in Kiev on Tuesday.
British news agency Reuters reported this information on Wednesday.
Zelensky said Ukraine's three-week invasion of Russia's Kursk region was part of the plan. But it also includes other steps in the economic and diplomatic spheres.
Zelensky did not elaborate on the next step in his plan. However, he noted that he will also discuss this with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The Ukrainian president said he is preparing to travel to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September. He is planning to meet with Biden during this trip.
According to the BBC report, Zelensky will use this UN session to make the next 'Ukraine peace' conference a success. The date of the peace conference has not yet been decided. But Ukraine wants Russia to participate in it.
Zelensky also said that the attack on the Kursk region has reduced the number of countries around the world pressuring Ukraine to compromise with Russia. He mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Putin was prioritizing the occupation of Ukraine rather than defending Russian territory. Zelensky also claimed that Ukraine has already occupied 100 Russian settlements in the Kursk region.
At the beginning of this month, after entering the Kursk region of Russia with tanks and other heavy weapons, they claimed to occupy the settlement. In addition, Ukraine has also announced the capture of about 600 Russian military personnel.
Earlier, the country announced that it would control an area of 1000 square kilometers of Russian territory. This is the deepest and most significant incursion of Ukrainian troops into Russian territory since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Anadolu news agency and Indian media NDTV reported this information in separate reports on Wednesday.
Oleksandr Sirsky, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that since crossing the border into Russia's Kursk region on August 6, Ukrainian troops have captured 100 settlements in Russia.
Russia has redeployed about 30,000 troops from other areas to the Kursk region and is now trying to form a 'defensive ring' around Ukrainian forces, Sirsky said, according to Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that its Akhmat special forces conducted an operation in the Sudza district of the Kursk region. After the operation, they recovered a strategic area there. A few days ago it occupied Ukraine. This area is located 400 to 500 meters away from the Ukrainian forward position. The Russian military is now able to monitor the military movements of Ukraine, according to the media Tas.
Sirsky said Ukraine is conducting military operations in Kursk with the aim of creating a buffer zone to prevent shelling of the Sumy region adjacent to Ukraine. He also said that Ukrainian troops were advancing and captured 594 Russian soldiers.
According to Sirsky, Russia is trying to prevent this attack by Ukraine by withdrawing troops from other fronts. However, he said, Russia has not withdrawn its forces from the Pokrovsk front in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.
Sirsky said the situation remained "difficult" on the Pokrovsk front in the Donetsk region. Among these, Zelensky decided to present the victory plan to the United States.
