After Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that its 'surprise' ambush would "restore justice" and pressure Moscow's forces from its territory.
The battle along the Kursk region entered its sixth day on Sunday with Kyiv having an edge as Russia's reinforcements getting delayed. Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry said that its troops are "continuing to repel an attempted invasion" by Ukrainian forces in the region.
Zelenskyy said he had discussed the operation with top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, vowing to respond in kind after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the front lines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor's territory," he said.
He added that Ukraine is proving that it can restore justice and ensure the exact kind of pressure that is needed to “pressure” Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities on Saturday rushed to evacuate its residents along three border regions, while Belarus, a staunch ally of Russia, deployed more troops to its border with Ukraine as it accused Kyiv of violating its air space.
According to Kursk officials, 13 people were injured in the city after debris from a destroyed Ukrainian missile fell onto a nine-storey residential building.
Alexei Smirnov, Kursk's acting governor, ordered local authorities to speed up the evacuation of civilians in areas at risk. According to Russia's TASS state news agency, more than 76,000 people had been evacuated since the incursion.
"When Ukraine's long-range capabilities have no limits, this war will definitely have a limit," Zelenskyy had said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in a statement: "The Kyiv regime is continuing its terrorist activity with the sole purpose of intimidating the peaceful population of Russia."
She added that Ukraine's recent attacks make no sense from the military point of view.
After Ukraine's incursion in Kursk, Russia has launched counter-terror operations by deploying more troops, tanks, equipment and rocket launchers to stop Kyiv's advancing troops.
