While the Ukrainian president was visiting the area bordering Kursk, President Putin spoke from Moscow about the situation with the governors of the regions bordering Ukraine and accused Ukrainian forces of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant.
The president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenskimade his Thursday first visit to the border zone from the beginning at the beginning of August of the surprise offensive of its troops in the Russian region of Kursk.
Speaking to military officials in Sumy, Zelensky said that the new prisoners of war of Kursk would help create a “exchange fund” to exchange them for captured Ukrainians.
“Another settlement in the Kursk region is now under ukrainian control and we have replenished the exchange fund,” Zelensky further wrote in X after hearing a report from his country’s top military commander, Oleksander Syrsky. Zelensky did not name the newly captured village and did not cross into Russiawhich Moscow would consider a provocation.
Previously, the president had said that his troops do not plan to occupy the area in the long term, but that the purpose of the military raid on Kursk is create a containment zone to prevent new attacks from that area to Ukraine.
Zelensky declared that the Kursk raid, launched on August 6, has Russian bombing and civilian casualties reduced in Sumy region. It has also allowed Ukraine to gain control of more Russian territory than Russia has gained all year in Ukraine.
Ukraine launches drone attack on air base in Russia’s Volgograd region
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian attack con drone aimed at Marinovka air base, in Volgograd. A video posted anonymously on a local Telegram channel showed thick black smoke billowing from the air base near Kalach-on-Don.
Regional Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed that a Defense Ministry facility had been attacked with drones and said that there had been no victims.
Putin claims that Ukraine tried to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant
Additionally, on Thursday, on the outskirts of Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation with the governors of the regions bordering Ukraine. During the conversation, Putin claimed that Ukraine had tried to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant.
“He International Atomic Energy Agency has been informed. They promise to come themselves and send specialists to assess the situation. I hope that in the end they do it,” he told the governors.
Alexei Smirnov, acting governor of the region of Kurskdeclared that more than 133,000 people have left the affected areas by the fighting and that more than 19,000 local residents have chosen to stay. “We continue to relocate people to safe places,” she said.
For his part, the governor of BrianskAlexander Bogomaz, stated that the authorities of the region had carried out training courses for emergency evacuation of border areas should such a need arise.
“We have also prepared 12 temporary accommodation centers to house 1,580 residents. “If necessary, we can expand the facilities for 32,000 people,” he told Putin.
US promises new military supplies for Ukraine
And in Washington, official US sources indicated that the Biden administration will send about 125 million dollars (112 million euros) in new military aid to Ukraine. According to preliminary information, the latest package would include air defense missiles, ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, javelins and a range of other anti-armor missiles, as well as counter-drone systems and to counter electronic warfare.
