Ukraine units up a navy HQ in Kursk in one other blow for Putin
Ukraine set up a military command office in an occupied region of Kursk last night, in an indication that Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s troops are planning to remain in the Russian region for the long-term.
Oleksandr Syrskyi – the country’s top general – said that his forces now occupy 686sq miles of the border region in southern Russia, claiming his forces are still advancing.
It marks the first foreign invasion on Russian soil since the Second World War.
‘We are moving forward in Kursk region. A military commandant’s office has been created which must ensure order and also all the needs of the local population,’ Syrskyi said in a written statement on his Telegram channel.
The office would be headed by Major General Eduard Moskalyov, he added in the message.
A Ukrainian tank passes by a burning car near the Russian-Ukrainian border, Sumy region, Ukraine on August 14
Ukrainian servicemen operate an armoured military vehicle on a road near the border with Russia, in the Sumy region of Ukraine, on August 14,
Oleksandr Syrskyi – the country’s top general – said that his forces no occupy 1,150sq km of the border region in southern Russia of Kursk
The plans to build the office marks the strongest sign yet that Kyiv‘s plan to dig in after launching a lightning cross-border assault on Russia last week that has opened a new front in the war that’s been raging for more than two years.
Ukraine’s surge into Russian territory caught Moscow by surprise after the Kremlin had continue to make small but steady gains all year in eastern Ukraine, occupying 18 per cent of the country.
Syrskyi told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video published by the Ukrainian leader that the incursion had so far advanced 35 km into the Kursk region, capturing 82 villages, towns and cities.
Zelenskyy, who spoke cryptically of the need to move on to the ‘next steps’ in public remarks on Wednesday, again hinted at other possible offensive actions on Russian territory.
‘We must clearly guarantee at the legislative level that our warriors, who participate, for example, in the Kursk operation and will participate in all our other actions on the territory of the aggressor state, will receive absolutely all payments and benefits designated for the front line,’ he said in an address posted on Telegram.
It comes as Vladimir Putin was left red-faced after his prized nuclear-capable Russian strategic bomber aircraft crashed last night in a remote Siberian region.
Witnesses said this type of plane – used by Putin as a key plank in his nuclear arsenal – broke up in the sky before crashing amid fierce explosions.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech on the stand in front of the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon received by Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with acting governor of Tula Region Dmitry Milyaev at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Russia yesterday
The Tu-22M3 (pictured) is prized by Putin for its nuclear capabilities
The plane crashed near the village of Mikhailovka in Irkutsk region, some 3,300 miles east of Moscow
It came at a time of deeply strained relations between the east and west, and as Russia is at war with Ukraine.
Putin’s regime is also making repeated threats to unleash nuclear weapons on Ukraine or the West.
Earlier yesterday, Russia celebrated destroying a British Challenger-2 tank involved in Ukraine’s Kursk incursion.
A video from the battlefield has emerged showing an armoured vehicle being blown up by a drone.
The footage, which was shared on social media app Telegram, shows a huge battlefield explosion as the tank, reportedly deployed by the Ukrainian 82nd Brigade, was blown up.
It was hit by a low-flying Russian Lancet-3 kamikaze drone near Sudzha on Ukraine-occupied Russian territory, according to Svarshchiki – or Welders – Telegram channel.
‘Our technically savvy operator jeweled the Lancet-3 into the upper hemisphere with a dive of the upper hull armour plate’, the channel posted.
The videos come as Ukrainian forces continue the cross-border offensive they launched on August 6.
Russian war media shared a video of a supposed British Challenger 2 tank being hit by a kamikaze drone in the Kursk region, Russia
The footage, which was shared on social media app Telegram, shows a huge battlefield explosion as the tank, reportedly deployed by the Ukrainian 82nd Brigade, was blown up
The video from the battlefield shows an armoured vehicle being blown up by a drone
Kyiv’s forces have started seizing Russian territory in what constitutes the most significant cross-border attack on the country since World War II.
The Ukrainians have since managed to advance up to 20 miles in some directions and have captured dozens of towns and settlements.
More than 120,000 Russian citizens have been forced to flee their homes amid widespread regional evacuations since last Tuesday, while 12 civilians are said to have died.
