Kursk Offensive Will Cease on One Condition: Kyiv

War
Post At: Aug 13/2024 11:50PM

Ukraine has revealed that there is one way Russia can stop its offensive on the Kursk region and potentially bring the war closer to an end.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said that the "sooner Russia agrees" to peace, the sooner "Ukrainian raids on the territory of Russia will stop," according to RBK Ukraine.

Newsweek has reached out to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.

On August 6, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region. This is the most significant cross-border attack on Russian soil since World War II.

Ukrainian tank crew take a break while operating a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine launched a surprise... Ukrainian tank crew take a break while operating a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into the Russian border region of Kursk on August 6, 2024, capturing over two dozen towns and villages in the most significant cross-border attack on Russian soil since World War II. Roman PILIPEY/Getty Images

The surprise offensive has been "humiliating" for Russian President Vladmir Putin, according to Kremlin critic Bill Browder.

Newsweek has reached out to a representative for the Kremlin via email for comment.

The foreign ministry spokesperson stated that Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory are "absolutely legitimate" actions, and added that the country's forces, "need to liberate these border territories" in order to prevent Russian strikes, according to RBK Ukraine.

Heorhii Tykhyi, a foreign affairs spokesperson for Ukraine said on Tuesday that, "Ukraine is not interested in taking territory in the Kursk region, we want to protect the lives of our people."

Tykhyi said "If Ukraine could strike the enemy troops on their territory, from where they threaten Ukraine, then Ukraine would be in a much better position to protect itself."

Tykhyi also stated that Ukraine's Kursk incursion would have been "less necessary" if Kyiv had access to long-range capabilities by the U.S. These are currently off limits due to a U.S. stipulation not to use such weapons to attack deep into Russian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the operation as a "catastrophe" for Vladmir Putin on Monday. Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said that Kyiv controls approximately 380 square miles of Russian territory. This claim has not been independently verified.

On Monday night, in response to the Kursk incursion, Zelensky said that "Russia has brought war to others, and now it is coming home," according to the BBC.

The BBC also reported that Russian authorities are evacuating residents in and around the Kursk region.

The acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, said that around 121,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, as per the BBC.

This comes as court records show a surge in Russian army desertions.

According to independent Russian media, Russian courts have received more cases of soldiers accused of leaving their units without permission so far in 2024 than were registered for all of 2023.

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