17 August 2024

As Kyiv makes gains in Kursk, Russia strikes back in Donetsk

Veronika Melkozerova

Russia is evacuating another district in its Kursk region, the regional governor announced overnight, as Ukraine's forces continue to make gains in the area.

Ukrainian forces have secured their hold on Sudzha, the administrative center of the Sudzhansky district in Kursk, and advanced several kilometers further into Russian territory. Overnight, acting regional Governor Alexei Smirnov said in a Telegram statement that the Glushkovsky district in Kursk, which has a population of 20,000, was being evacuated.

Kyiv forces took six more settlements in Russia over the past day. Ukraine currently controls more than 80 settlements in Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement. Kyiv currently controls 1,152 square kilometers of Russian territory, Ukrainian Army Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi added at a defense staff meeting with government officials.

Ukraine captured 102 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region on Wednesday — a record number for a single day, a high-ranking official from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) who was granted anonymity to share the update, told POLITICO.

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