Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that his forces had captured another Russian village, coinciding with his visit to a border area where Ukrainian troops had breached Russian territory over two weeks ago.
Amid rising tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv issued a stark warning of increased risks of Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, particularly leading up to Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24. The embassy’s statement, posted online Wednesday evening, urged heightened vigilance over the coming days and into the weekend.
For Ukrainians, Independence Day has gained symbolic weight since Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has fueled a surge of patriotic fervor. This year’s celebrations occur just weeks after Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border attack into Russia’s Kursk region, even as Russian troops continue their slow but steady advance in eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the Ukrainian incursion, promising that Moscow would deliver a “worthy response” to what he labeled a serious provocation.
Meanwhile, Russian forces successfully thwarted an attempted sabotage and reconnaissance mission by Ukrainian troops in the western Bryansk region, located roughly 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the site of the earlier Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, according to Russian officials.
On Wednesday, Russia reported progress in eastern Ukraine and claimed its forces were pushing back Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. However, a senior Russian commander acknowledged that Ukraine’s forces were regrouping and might launch another assault.
In preparation for further attacks, authorities in Kursk have started installing concrete shelters to protect civilians from Ukrainian incursions.
While Kyiv continues to announce battlefield victories, Moscow’s forces have been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine for months, applying relentless pressure on Ukrainian troops after more than a year of grueling combat since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
On Thursday, the Russian defense ministry stated that its forces had seized control of the village of Mezhove in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Although Moscow insists that Ukrainian offensives on Russian territory have been halted, Ukraine remains determined, touting its own advances.
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Zelenskyy, during his visit to the Sumy region, met with his top commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Official footage captured the two leaders shaking hands and embracing, though the exact timing of the visit remains unclear.
In a statement, Zelenskyy noted a reduction in shelling and civilian casualties in Sumy since Ukraine’s operation in Kursk began. He also revealed that Ukrainian forces had captured another Russian village, adding to their control of more than 90 settlements in the area.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, speaking to a visiting U.S. congressional delegation on Wednesday, reaffirmed that Kyiv’s actions in Kursk were intended to safeguard Ukraine.
“Our goals there (in Kursk) are to clear the border of Russian military threats and make enemy shelling and attacks on our towns and villages impossible,” Umerov stated.
The Ukrainian incursion has provided a morale boost as the country prepares to celebrate 33 years of independence from the Soviet Union on Saturday. Despite the uplifting sentiment, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv reiterated its warning on Thursday, highlighting the looming threat of intensified Russian missile and drone strikes during the Independence Day period.
