Zelensky Says Ukraine ‘Strengthening’ Positions Kursk, Boasts Of Many POWs Captured

On Saturday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that his forces are “strengthening” their positions in Russia’s Kursk region. The invasion into Russian territory shocked the world and has left Kremlin officials shocked, with some expressing frustration that the border was apparently so poorly guarded.

“As of this morning, we have replenished the exchange fund for our country,” Zelensky said, after his army reportedly captured hundreds of POWs since the Aug.6 invasion of the southern Russian oblast.

Captured Russian troops, reportedly in Kursk. Source: SBU via Tsaplienko Telegram

“I thank all the soldiers and commanders who are taking Russian soldiers prisoner and thus bringing the release of our soldiers and civilians held by Russia closer,” he added, according to official government social media channels.

Zelensky acknowledged that the Russian side is responding with a fierce fight: “(There were) dozens of Russian assaults on our positions over the last day. But our soldiers and units are doing everything to destroy the occupier and repel the attacks,” he continued.

Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrsky simultaneously “reported on the strengthening of the positions of our forces in the Kursk region and the expansion of stabilized territory” in a public statement.

Kiev is also presenting that its forces are in better shape along the eastern front in the Donbass, after in prior days asserting that Russia was forced to remove some its front line fighting forces in order to defend Kursk and Belgorod. 

In Ukraine’s Sumy, there are Saturday reports of a large blaze after a fresh Russian missile attack:

A Russian missile sparked a blaze in the city of Sumy that injured two people and also damaged cars and nearby buildings, said Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. It said that the hit had involved an Iskander-K cruise missile and an aerial bomb.

Ukraine’s air force also said it had shot down 14 Russian drones overnight, including over the Kyiv region.

Likely Russia’s aerial assaults on other major cities, including the capital of Kiev, will only increase as a way of retaliation. 

Harrowing videos of the fighting in Kursk reveal that the Ukrainians have already established trenches and physical defenses in the region, planning for an attempt to indefinitely occupy Russian territory…

As for Zelensky’s claim of having captured large masses of Russian troops during the Kursk incursion, the AP observed, “On Friday, the AP visited a detention center in Ukraine, the location of which cannot be disclosed due to security restrictions. Dozens of POWs were seen, some of them walking with their hands tied behind their backs while a guard led them down a corridor. Some had rations of a thin soup with cabbage and onions.”

Regardless of all the current pro-Kiev optimism, many analysts warn there are real limits and the likelihood Ukraine forces will soon be in worse shape than before due to this ultra-risky cross-border operation…

A very good analysis with several important points here. Among them: “There is a limit to how successful Ukraine can be. It was suffering from a shortage of troops to rotate and hold the line prior to its operation in Kursk. Now it has pulled together what was available as an… https://t.co/gqGvQefDwJ

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 17, 2024

The Zelensky government has been touting that it plans to hold onto a “buffer zone” in Kursk, to prevent Russia from launching cross-border mortar and missile strike on Ukraine. The Kremlin’s retaliation is expected to grow big at some point soon.