The Ukrainian president also used his evening speech to ask international allies to accelerate deliveries of military material to the battlefield.
The president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenskideclared on Sunday that the military raid in the Russian region of Kursk aims to create a containment zone to prevent new attacks from Moscow across the border.
The Ukrainian president’s statements in his nighttime speech on Sunday marked the first occasion in which he clearly stated the objective of the operationreleased on August 6.
“Today we have achieved good and much-needed results in the destruction of russian material near Toretsk. And all this is more than just defense for Ukraine, it is now our main task in defensive operations in general: to destroy all possible Russian war potential and carry out the maximum counteroffensive actions“Zelensky declared.
Zelensky calls for speeding up aid delivery
The president also took advantage of his nightly video address to make a appeal to international allies to accelerate deliveries of military material to the battlefield.
“It is necessary that our partners accelerate delivery of supplies. We strongly ask for it. There are no vacations in war.. Decisions are needed, as well as timely logistics for announced aid packages. I address especially to USA, United Kingdom y France“he declared.
Attacks on bridges in Kursk
Zelensky’s comments came on the same day that the Ukrainian Army released images showing what, according to him, has been the destruction of a key bridge in Kursk, the second of its kind attacked in less than two weeks.
The destruction of the bridges would disrupt Russian supply routes and could indicate that Ukrainian troops intend dig in. Pro-Kremlin Russian military bloggers have acknowledged the destruction of the first bridge, which spanned the Seim River near the town of Glushkovo.
Russian authorities have not provided the exact location of the second bridgebut they have indicated that it also extends over the Río Seimin the town of Zvannoe.
Largest military attack on Russian soil since World War II
The daring Ukrainian military raid on Kursk has seen kyiv forces seize several pueblosthey took hundreds of prisoners and forced evacuate tens of thousands of civilians in what has become the largest attack against Russia since World War II.
In more than a week of fightingRussian troops continue fighting to expel Ukrainian forces. kyiv also hopes that the operation change the dynamics of the conflictwhich has been going on for more than two years.
But official Ukrainian sources have repeatedly said that the objective of the operation is not to occupy Russia. “Ukraine is not interested in occupying Russian territories”declared one of Zelensky’s top aides, Mykhailo Podolyak, on Friday in X.
“In the Kursk region, we can clearly see how the military tool is being used objectively to persuade Russia to enter a fair negotiation process“he stated.
