Zelensky Describes Ukraine's Attack on Kursk as 'Creating a Buffer Zone' at the Russian Border

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated that the aim of Ukraine's attack on Kursk in Russian territory is to 'create a buffer zone' at the border with Russia and to prevent further attacks from Moscow. In his evening video message on Sunday, August 28, he declared the destruction of Russia's combat capacity as the main objective of the defensive operations. He also noted that the actions of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk include 'creating a buffer zone.' Ukraine's surprise attacks in the Kursk region began on August 7, and according to Kyiv, Ukrainian forces have so far taken control of a significant city and over 80 settlements in the area. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that it has repelled Russian nighttime airstrikes on various regions of the country. This unit of the Ukrainian army stated in a Telegram message on Monday morning, August 29, that various cities in the country were targeted by Russian airstrikes the previous night, but 'all 11 attacking Shahed drones were shot down.' Ukraine also reported targeting another bridge in the Kursk region of Russia. According to this report, these drones were shot down in several cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and the Donetsk region. Following Ukraine's attack on the Kursk region of Russia, Moscow has intensified its attacks in eastern Ukraine. After two and a half years of defending its territory against Russia's all-out invasion, the Ukrainian army launched a major counter-offensive in the Kursk region on August 7. Ukraine claims to have taken control of over 1,100 square kilometers of Russian territory in the past 12 days, which includes nearly 100 Russian settlements. The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force reported over the weekend that two bridges in Kursk, which were vital for the logistics of Russian forces, were destroyed. This is the largest foreign attack on Russia since World War II in the past eight decades.