Zelenskiy taking âinsaneâ steps over Kursk incursion, claim Russian security services
Welcome to our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict amid the dramatic incursion into Kursk by Kyivâs forces.
On Tuesday, Russiaâs foreign intelligence services accused Ukraineâs president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, of taking âinsaneâ steps that threaten to escalate the war far beyond his country, according to a report from Russiaâs RIA state news service.
It comes as Ukraineâs top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square km (386 square miles) of the Kursk region, Associated Press reports.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi made the statement in a video posted on Monday to Zelenskiyâs Telegram channel. In the video, he briefed the president on the frontline situation.
âThe troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,â Syrskyi said.
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has vowed a âworthy responseâ to the Kursk attack and ordered his troops to âdislodge the enemy from our territoriesâ.
In other news:
-
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said late on Monday that its representatives had inspected a damaged cooling tower at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine but could not immediately determine the cause of a fire there at the weekend. Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of starting the fire at the vast dormant nuclear power plant in Ukraine, with Russia blaming a drone attack and Ukraine saying it was likely Russiaâs negligence or arson.
-
In a meeting with his national security council Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said the attack was aimed at improving Kyivâs negotiating position ahead of possible peace talks and at slowing the advance of Russian forces. âThe main task, of course, is for the defence ministry to squeeze out, to knock out the enemy from our territories,â Putin said, adding: âThe enemy will certainly receive a worthy response.â
-
Zelenskiy said the Kursk attack was targeting areas from which Russia was launching assaults on Ukrainian territory. âIt is only fair to destroy Russian terrorists where they are, where they launch their strikes from,â he said in his nightly address. âRussian military airfields, Russian logistics. We see how useful this can be for bringing peace closer. Russia must be forced into peace if Putin wants to continue waging war so badly. He added: âRussia brought war to others, and now it is coming home.â
-
Ukrainian forces in Kursk were trying to encircle Sudzha, where Russian natural gas flows into Ukraine, Reuters reported. Major battles were also under way near Korenevo, about 22 km (14 miles) from the border, and Martynovka village.
-
Putin said on Monday that, despite the attack, âour armed forces are moving forward along the entire line of contactâ in Ukraine. Russiaâs defence ministry said on Monday its troops had âaccelerated the speed of advanceâ in the eastern Donetsk region and taken the hamlet of Lysychne in their push towards the city of Pokrovsk. It was not possible to verify the claim independently.
-
Ukrainian prosecutors said on Monday that law enforcement authorities had detained one of the countryâs four deputy energy ministers and three other people as they were receiving part of a $500,000 bribe. An investigation revealed that the suspects had organised a scheme to smuggle mining equipment belonging to a state-owned coal mining enterprise out of the combat zone in the Donetsk region, according to the Prosecutor Generalâs Office of Ukraine. The suspects were not named.
Key events
Russia launched 38 attack drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukraineâs air force said on Tuesday.
Thirty of the drones were destroyed over eight Ukrainian regions, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app. It was not clear what happened to the weapons that were not destroyed, Reuters reported.
Sumy regional authorities said the attack injured one person and damaged a power line and a gas pipeline, leaving some residents of the city of Sumy without electricity and gas supplies.
The attack also damaged a hospital building and several cars in the region, the authorities said.
Zelenskiy taking âinsaneâ steps over Kursk incursion, claim Russian security services
Welcome to our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict amid the dramatic incursion into Kursk by Kyivâs forces.
On Tuesday, Russiaâs foreign intelligence services accused Ukraineâs president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, of taking âinsaneâ steps that threaten to escalate the war far beyond his country, according to a report from Russiaâs RIA state news service.
It comes as Ukraineâs top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square km (386 square miles) of the Kursk region, Associated Press reports.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi made the statement in a video posted on Monday to Zelenskiyâs Telegram channel. In the video, he briefed the president on the frontline situation.
âThe troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,â Syrskyi said.
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has vowed a âworthy responseâ to the Kursk attack and ordered his troops to âdislodge the enemy from our territoriesâ.
In other news:
-
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said late on Monday that its representatives had inspected a damaged cooling tower at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine but could not immediately determine the cause of a fire there at the weekend. Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of starting the fire at the vast dormant nuclear power plant in Ukraine, with Russia blaming a drone attack and Ukraine saying it was likely Russiaâs negligence or arson.
-
In a meeting with his national security council Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said the attack was aimed at improving Kyivâs negotiating position ahead of possible peace talks and at slowing the advance of Russian forces. âThe main task, of course, is for the defence ministry to squeeze out, to knock out the enemy from our territories,â Putin said, adding: âThe enemy will certainly receive a worthy response.â
-
Zelenskiy said the Kursk attack was targeting areas from which Russia was launching assaults on Ukrainian territory. âIt is only fair to destroy Russian terrorists where they are, where they launch their strikes from,â he said in his nightly address. âRussian military airfields, Russian logistics. We see how useful this can be for bringing peace closer. Russia must be forced into peace if Putin wants to continue waging war so badly. He added: âRussia brought war to others, and now it is coming home.â
-
Ukrainian forces in Kursk were trying to encircle Sudzha, where Russian natural gas flows into Ukraine, Reuters reported. Major battles were also under way near Korenevo, about 22 km (14 miles) from the border, and Martynovka village.
-
Putin said on Monday that, despite the attack, âour armed forces are moving forward along the entire line of contactâ in Ukraine. Russiaâs defence ministry said on Monday its troops had âaccelerated the speed of advanceâ in the eastern Donetsk region and taken the hamlet of Lysychne in their push towards the city of Pokrovsk. It was not possible to verify the claim independently.
-
Ukrainian prosecutors said on Monday that law enforcement authorities had detained one of the countryâs four deputy energy ministers and three other people as they were receiving part of a $500,000 bribe. An investigation revealed that the suspects had organised a scheme to smuggle mining equipment belonging to a state-owned coal mining enterprise out of the combat zone in the Donetsk region, according to the Prosecutor Generalâs Office of Ukraine. The suspects were not named.