President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the primary objective of the Kursk operation was to draw Russian forces away from Pokrovsk, the Kharkiv direction, and Sumy. Ukrainian forces successfully accomplished this task. However, the situation in Kursk region remains challenging.
The head of state announced this during a meeting with journalists, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The situation in Kursk region is, understandably, very difficult. The goal of the Kursk operation was to pull Russian forces away from Pokrovsk, the Kharkiv direction, and Sumy. Our guys showed absolute heroism, taking a heavy blow on themselves. First, the pressure eased in the Kharkiv direction. The Russians redirected a lot of their forces from there to Kursk. Then they began to withdraw troops from the Eastern front but did not abandon their main goal – seizing Pokrovsk. We understood this perfectly. Our brave fighters knew that, at some point, there was a chance that the Russians would stop advancing in the Pokrovsk sector. And that’s exactly what happened. The situation in the Pokrovsk and Kharkiv sectors is now stabilized,” Zelensky explained.
He expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian defenders for their actions during the Kursk operation.
“I believe the operation fulfilled its mission. I think the situation in the Pokrovsk sector is now stable, and it will be very difficult for the Russians to find an opportunity to occupy Pokrovsk again,” Zelensky emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, the AFU General Staff denied claims of alleged encirclement of Ukrainian forces in Kursk region. According to the General Staff, the situation has not undergone significant changes in the past 24 hours.
