Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday the military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region aims to create a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.
It was the first time Zelenskyy clearly stated the aim of the operation, launched on Aug. 6. Previously, he said the operation aimed to protect communities in the bordering Sumy region from constant shelling.
Zelenskyy said the primary task in defensive operations is to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions, including creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory.
This weekend, Ukraine destroyed a key bridge in the region and struck a second one nearby, disrupting supply lines as it pressed a cross-border incursion that began Aug. 6, officials said.
Pro-Kremlin military bloggers acknowledged that the destruction of the first bridge on the Seim River near Glushkovo will impede deliveries of supplies to Russian forces repelling Ukraine’s incursion, although Moscow could still use pontoons and smaller bridges.