For the first time, the Ukrainian government recognized the offensive of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kursk region.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that about 1,000 km² of Russian territory is under the control of Ukrainian troops.

This was discussed during a meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on August 12, 2024. The meeting was attended by Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Rustem Umierov and Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov.

According to Syrskyi, the topics discussed during the meeting, were defensive actions at the front lines and the operation in the Kursk oblast.

“The most important thing was the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, on our defense actions on the front line and the operation in the Kursk region. We are grateful to all the soldiers and commanders for their resilience and decisive actions. Among other things, we have instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs, other government officials, and the Security Service of Ukraine to prepare a humanitarian plan for the territory of the operation,” the President said.

Active fighting has been going on in the Russian Kursk oblast since August 6.

The Ukrainian General Staff has not yet commented on the plans for this operation, its scale, or the number of troops involved.

It is likely that the Russian army no longer controls several dozen settlements in the region.

It is also likely that Russia has lost control of Sudzha, the district center that houses the largest gas metering station for gas transit to Europe through Ukraine.

Analysts from DeepState assure that the breakthrough in the Kursk region covers 44 settlements. In addition, there are 10 more whose status has not yet been determined.

However, they emphasize that these numbers are “extremely conservative,” so the actual advance may be even deeper. DeepState also noted that “almost no one” can clearly list the villages and towns lost to Russia, and even photos and videos do not confirm the real situation.

As previously reported, on the night of Friday, August 9, a convoy of Russian military equipment was destroyed in the Kursk region of Russia.