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Ukraine’s military has made significant inroads into Russia’s Kursk region, with Kyiv establishing a military command office in the occupied area. Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi informed President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video that Ukrainian forces have advanced 35 km into Russian territory since the offensive began last week. This operation, which has caught Moscow off guard, has allowed Ukraine to seize the initiative from Russian forces, who have been making gradual progress in eastern Ukraine throughout the year.
During the incursion, Ukrainian forces reportedly took control of 82 settlements, encompassing an area of 1,150 square kilometers. Syrskyi announced that Major General Eduard Moskalev has been appointed as the head of military command in the Kyiv-controlled part of western Russia. He stated on his Telegram channel that the newly established command office aims to maintain order and address the needs of the local population in the Kursk region.
As the offensive continues, Ukrainian authorities are working on creating humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians. These corridors will be accessible to both Russian and Ukrainian citizens. Meanwhile, Moscow reported that over 700 people have fled their homes in the Kursk region within the past 24 hours. According to the Russian Ministry of Emergencies, evacuees are being relocated to temporary accommodation points across 14 regions, where approximately 9,500 Russian citizens from the region have already been settled. More than 470 centers, capable of housing over 36,000 people, are prepared to receive further evacuees.
In a significant development, Kyiv claimed to have captured more than 100 Russian servicemen on Wednesday, marking the largest simultaneous capture of Russian soldiers since the conflict began. The captured soldiers belong to Russia’s 488th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment and the Akhmat unit. Photographs shared by a representative of Ukraine’s Security Service depict dozens of Russian troops sitting or lying in a concrete bunker, with their helmets and weapons stacked against the walls.
In response, Moscow also reported the capture of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, although details were sparse. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it had retaken two villages previously occupied by Ukrainian forces, with ongoing clashes reported near the villages of Kremenoe and Ruska Konopelka. The Russian governor of the Kursk region, Andrey Smirnov, disclosed that Sergey Kiriyenko, the former Russian prime minister and current first deputy chief of staff to Vladimir Putin, visited the Kursk nuclear power plant on Thursday, which is situated close to the conflict zone. Smirnov noted that measures are being taken to bolster the plant’s defenses, with construction on a new reactor continuing as planned, aiming for a December startup.
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