Russia Ukraine: Kursk offensive to protect own citizens
According to official information from Kiev, Ukraine does not want to permanently occupy the areas taken in the Russian territory.
13.08.2024, 17:06
SDA
Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not need foreign territory, said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhij Tychyj in Kiev. "We want to protect the lives of our people," he said. Ukraine sees its conquests in the Russian region of Kursk only as a kind of bargaining chip for peace negotiations.
Similar to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Monday evening, Tychyi justified the operation, which has been ongoing since Tuesday last week, by saying that it was intended to prevent Russian attacks on the neighboring Ukrainian region of Sumy. In addition, Russian logistics were to be disrupted in order to prevent Moscow from deploying additional troops to the eastern Ukrainian combat zone of Donetsk.
"The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace, (...) the sooner the attacks by the Ukrainian defense forces on Russian territory will stop," Tychyj said, according to Ukrainian media.
The Ukrainian army is a civilized force and adheres to the rules of warfare and international humanitarian law, he emphasized. Thousands of people were brought to safety by the Russian authorities in the Kursk region. "The targets of the Ukrainian armed forces are the soldiers," said Tychyj.
The Ukrainian army has been attacking the Russian region of Kursk since August 6 and, according to local authorities, has captured 28 villages there. The Ukrainian DeepState project, on the other hand, believes that around 44 villages are under Kiev's control.
