Politics Selenskyj: Keeping up the pressure on Russia in Kursk

The advance of Ukrainian troops into the Russian region of Kursk remains strategically important for his country, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. "The fighting in the Kursk region is now entering its third month," said Zelensky in his evening video message in Kiev. "We are maintaining the necessary pressure on Russia in this area."

Mobile units of the Ukrainian army had advanced across the border into the Kursk region on August 6 and captured the small town of Sudzha on August 8. This was the first time in more than two years of war that ground fighting had entered Russian territory. According to the Ukrainians, they occupy more than 1,000 square kilometers. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the recapture of the area, but this is making little progress. Zelensky sees the conquest as a bargaining chip for a possible swap.