Ukraine marked six months since the start of the attack on the Russian Kursk region, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said had "brought war to the homes of Russians" and could serve as a bargaining chip in future peace talks.
"Today we mark six months of the Kursk operation. With our active operations on Russian territory, we have brought war to Russia," Zelensky said in his video address on February 6.
Ukrainian forces launched an offensive on August 6, capturing parts of territory in the Kursk region, including the city of Sudzha.
Zelensky acknowledged the merits of the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades that participated in the Kursk operation, but did not mention the counteroffensive that was reported by unofficial Ukrainian military blogs and the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles launched eight waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasska Konopelka. Russian units thwarted an attempted counteroffensive, and the settlements are under Russian control, the ministry said. It claimed Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses, including more than 200 soldiers and dozens of vehicles. The report from the battlefield could not be confirmed.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army briefly mentioned military activity in the Kursk region in its assessment of the fighting on February 6, saying only that there had been five clashes since the beginning of the day.
Ukraine has said its stronghold in Kursk could be a useful bargaining chip in potential peace talks with Russia.
"At some point, when the war moves towards a diplomatic solution, you will see how important this operation was," Zelensky said on the X network on February 5.
On February 6, Zelensky's cabinet announced that Ukraine was ready to open a humanitarian corridor so that hundreds of Russian civilians living in border areas occupied by Ukraine could return to Russian-controlled territory.
More than 1.500 civilians still live in areas of the Kursk region. Some have become angry with Russian authorities over the loss of contact with family members believed to be out of contact on the other side of the front line.
"We are ready to open a humanitarian corridor from the Kursk region into the depths of Russia in response to the official request of the Russian Federation," Zelensky's office added.
"Obviously, the Russians do not want such a humanitarian corridor, as we have not received a corresponding request from them," the statement said, accusing Moscow of "indifference" to the fate of its own citizens.
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