Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced an additional 2.5 km in the Kursk region.

Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces successfully counterattacked in Russian-controlled Kursk, advancing an additional 2.5 km into the region. The President of Ukraine shared this information in an interview with the Reuters news agency, published on Saturday, February 8.

“Regarding yesterday and the day before (February 5 and 6, – ed.). Our guys advanced by 2.5 km [...] Commander Syrski reported to me that they (the Russians, – ed.) lost 230 people killed and wounded [...] Prior to this, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a Russian command post in Kursk, resulting in a significant number of officer casualties. I was told that there were probably 20 dead officers among them, including senior North Korean and Russian officers,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.

Volodymyr Zelensky also emphasized that the goal of the Kursk operation is to prevent Russians from launching strikes on Ukrainian cities and to stop them from occupying Sumy and Kharkiv. Following the failure of Russian troops in Kyiv in 2022, Vladimir Putin aimed to seize at least two major regions in the North and East. Additionally, Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that over the past six months, Ukrainian forces have captured more than 700 occupiers.

“Moreover, the Russians have redeployed a large number of troops from the South and East, specifically from the Zaporizhzhia direction due to the pressure from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelensky.

Furthermore, on February 6, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine advanced 5 km southeast of Suja. According to ISW, Ukrainian troops may have gained control over the settlements of Cherkaska Konopelka, Ulanok, and Fanaseivka in the Kursk region.

It is worth noting that the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has also been confirmed by Russian sources. In particular, Russian volunteer Roman Alyokhin stated that Ukrainian forces have “improved their position in the Kursk region.” He also accused the Russian military leadership of providing false reports regarding the situation in Kursk. Alyokhin claimed that the Russian command is sending untrained fighters to Kursk, thereby increasing Russian casualties.

Recall that on January 5, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, reported that Ukrainian forces unexpectedly attacked the Russian army on several fronts in Kursk.

On February 6, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that over the course of six months of the Kursk offensive operation, the Russians have lost approximately 40,000 of their troops, with more than 16,000 killed.