Kyiv says its captured 74 villages in the Kursk region, and vowed to stop its offensives in mainland Russia if Moscow agrees to a “fair peace deal.”
However, Russia shot back, saying it’s in the process of pushing back the Ukrainian military.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
Ukraine continued to push ahead with its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region for the eighth day on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his military was able to capture 74 villages in the region, while Kyiv’s top commander said that its forces were able to advance three kilometers in one day, taking control of an additional 40 square kilometers of Russian territory.
Ukraine says it has no intention of occupying Russian territory, adding that it would stop its offensives in mainland Russia, if Moscow agrees to a “fair peace deal.”
However, Moscow is looking to repel the Ukrainian forces, saying it’s already in the process of doing so.
According to the Russian defense ministry, Ukraine has already lost up to 420 troops in the past 24 hours, and over two thousand soldiers have been killed since the incursions began on August 6th.
While the Ukrainian foreign ministry called on Russia to agree to restore peace in the two-and-a-half year-long war, Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier said no negotiations could happen with those that attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, slamming the eight-day-long incursion.
Meanwhile, continued fighting in the Kursk region is also raising major concerns over threats it can pose to energy infrastructures in the region.
Fighting took place in a region where a pipeline carrying Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine is located, while missile fragments were found near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.
Russian nuclear operators say that the power plant is currently functioning normally and radiation levels at the plant and the surrounding area are stable.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=274674
