Ukraine is prepared to create a humanitarian corridor so that Russian citizens can leave Ukrainian-controlled territory in the Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
But he added that Moscow appeared to be ‘uninterested.’
Around 1,500 Russian civilians are still living in border areas around the town of Sudzha that were seized by Kyiv’s forces during a surprise incursion last August, the Kyiv Post reports.
Relatives of Russians trapped beyond the conflict’s frontline are reported to be increasingly frustrated with the authorities and a public meeting was held last month to assure the public that efforts are being made to ensure their safety.
But Zelenskyy said that, although he was ready to facilitate moves to repatriate Russians from the occupied zone, Moscow seemed “indifferent” to the fate of its citizens.
“We are ready to open a humanitarian corridor from Kursk region to the depths of Russia in response to an official request of the Russian Federation,” he told the AFP news agency.
“Apparently, the Russians do not want such a humanitarian corridor because we have not received a corresponding request from them.”
Around 1,500 Russian civilians are still living in border areas around the town of Sudzha that were seized by Kyiv’s forces during a surprise incursion last August, the Kyiv Post reports.
Relatives of Russians trapped beyond the conflict’s frontline are reported to be increasingly frustrated with the authorities and a public meeting was held last month to assure the public that efforts are being made to ensure their safety.
But Zelenskyy said that, although he was ready to facilitate moves to repatriate Russians from the occupied zone, Moscow seemed “indifferent” to the fate of its citizens.
“We are ready to open a humanitarian corridor from Kursk region to the depths of Russia in response to an official request of the Russian Federation,” he told the AFP news agency.
“Apparently, the Russians do not want such a humanitarian corridor because we have not received a corresponding request from them.”
Six months since the incursion
The comments came as Ukraine reportedly launched a fresh assault on villages near Sudzha on Thursday, six months to the day since it unexpectedly sent forces into Russia proper.
Russia’s defense ministry said it had repelled eight waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka, Reuters reported, and claimed that Ukrainian forces had suffered hundreds of casualties.
The Ukrainian military commented only briefly, saying that five clashes had taken place. Unofficial military blogs dismissed Russia’s claims of heavy losses, saying that Kyiv had made limited gains in tactical positions.
Noting that six months had passed since Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk province, Zelenskyy said on Thursday that the move had “brought the war home for Russians so that they might feel just what war is. And they are feeling it.”
But Ukraine’s foothold in the region has shrunk significantly since its initial attack, with Russia clawing back swathes of territory with the help of around 11,000 North Korean soldiers.
In an analysis of Ukrainian strategy in Kursk, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Thursday that the incursion had created leverage for Ukraine, forced the Kremlin to redeploy troops from other parts of the frontline and exposed some of Russia’s vulnerabilities in responding to lightning-quick attacks.
“The limited Ukrainian force grouping that attacked into Kursk Oblast was able to generate significantly greater strategic-level impacts than these forces could have achieved defending within Ukraine,” its report said.
“The Ukrainian incursion challenges the assumption that the war is permanently stalemated and highlights the fact that both Russia and Ukraine maintain the ability to shift battlefield realities with well-planned and executed offensive operations.”
Russia’s defense ministry said it had repelled eight waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka, Reuters reported, and claimed that Ukrainian forces had suffered hundreds of casualties.
The Ukrainian military commented only briefly, saying that five clashes had taken place. Unofficial military blogs dismissed Russia’s claims of heavy losses, saying that Kyiv had made limited gains in tactical positions.
Noting that six months had passed since Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk province, Zelenskyy said on Thursday that the move had “brought the war home for Russians so that they might feel just what war is. And they are feeling it.”
But Ukraine’s foothold in the region has shrunk significantly since its initial attack, with Russia clawing back swathes of territory with the help of around 11,000 North Korean soldiers.
‘Both Ukraine and Russia can shift war reality’
In an analysis of Ukrainian strategy in Kursk, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Thursday that the incursion had created leverage for Ukraine, forced the Kremlin to redeploy troops from other parts of the frontline and exposed some of Russia’s vulnerabilities in responding to lightning-quick attacks.
“The limited Ukrainian force grouping that attacked into Kursk Oblast was able to generate significantly greater strategic-level impacts than these forces could have achieved defending within Ukraine,” its report said.
“The Ukrainian incursion challenges the assumption that the war is permanently stalemated and highlights the fact that both Russia and Ukraine maintain the ability to shift battlefield realities with well-planned and executed offensive operations.”
More In Society MORE...
