Thomas McIntosh
BBC News
Global Image Ukraine via Getty Images
Ukrainian military personnel examine the range of rifles immediately after invasion into Kursk
Ukraine’s highest military commander says that its forces still protect small areas of territory within Russia, which they captured almost a year ago.
In August 2024, Ukraine began a surprising invasion of the Kursk region, earning more than 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian land.
Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Silsky said 10,000 Russian troops were trying to drive his troops.
Russia has repeatedly claimed it has recaptured the entire region, but Sirsky said on Sunday that Ukraine still holds 90 square kilometers (56 square miles) in the Kursk region.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Silsky vowed to increase the “size and depth” of the strike in Russia.
“Of course we’ll continue,” he said.
“We’re fighting and destroying purely military targets, given that we’re not fighting the population.”
Ukraine seized dozens of villages in the Kursk region shortly after the invasion began on August 6, 2024.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Operation Kursk has established a buffer zone that will prevent Russian troops from being deployed in major regions of eastern Ukraine.
However, Kiev’s progress was stalled after Russia rushed reinforcements into the area, including thousands of troops from its allies.
In recent months, Ukrainian forces have retreated in Kursk after facing a fierce drone attack with 70,000 Russian troops as part of a Moscow drive to reclaim its territory.
Last fall, North Korea sent an estimated 11,000 troops to Kursk to fight invasions across Ukraine’s borders.
Western officials told the BBC in January that at least 1,000 North Korean troops from Russia were killed in just three months.
Earlier this month, the Pyongyang government pledged to send thousands of mine-exempt troops and builders to Russia’s Kursk region to restore damaged infrastructure.
