Zelensky highlights strategic importance of Ukrainian Forces in Kursk region amid Russian losses and Putin's urgency
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the critical role of Ukrainian Armed Forces stationed in the Kursk region. According to him, these forces are crucial in "defending their Motherland," while Russia reportedly suffers substantial losses on its own territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has tasked his military with expelling Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region before Donald Trump's inauguration. During the third International Conference on Food Security, Grain From Ukraine, Zelensky highlighted Putin's concerns regarding the contingent stability of the so-called "special military operation," allegedly hinging on the control of the Kursk region.
The directive from Russian Armed Forces is clear: Ukrainian forces should be ousted from the Kursk region by January 20.
“For Putin, the most crucial aspect is pushing us out of the Kursk region. The new missile strikes, these overt displays, are deliberate actions. He set this goal, and I firmly believe he wants to achieve this by January 20 next year. It's vital for him to demonstrate control over a situation he currently doesn’t,” Zelensky stated.
Moreover, the Ukrainian President pointed out that the Ukraine Armed Forces' operations in the Kursk region have highlighted Russia's inability to protect its own borders, given its considerable focus on seizing Ukrainian territories.
“Putin wants to showcase that he can fulfill, as he stated, the objectives of the so-called ‘special military operation’ by occupying the entire Donbas region and expelling us from the Kursk direction. These are his twin objectives, influencing our outcomes: the difficulties in the east stem partly from inadequacies in Ukrainian troop numbers and delays in aid deliveries,” he added.
Reaffirming his stance, Zelensky insists on the importance of Ukrainian forces in Kursk, stating they are “defending their Motherland,” while Russia incurs massive losses at home.
“He's never faced such losses before. One of our intercepts in the Kursk direction reveals his direct, personal pleas via command, underscoring the importance of the Kursk operation to the fate of the ‘special military operation,’” the Ukrainian president noted.
A Ukrainian missile strike on November 20 targeting an underground facility in Russia's Kursk region resulted in the deaths of 18 Russian military personnel, including Lieutenant General Solodchuk, while injuring 33 Russian soldiers and claiming the lives of 500 North Korean soldiers.