Ukraine has taken 74 settlements in Kursk, says Zelensky

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Ukraine has taken control of 74 settlements in Russia’s Kursk border region, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said on Tuesday. 
President Zelensky’s comments came as part of his evening address after Moscow previously said that Ukraine had control of 28 settlements. 
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army, told Mr Zelensky that Ukraine’s Kursk offensive had advanced 1-3 kilometres over the last 24 hours. 
Mr Zelensly said the invasion would mark the end of Vladimir Putin’s rule.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kyiv said it had no interest in permanently seizing parts of the southern Russian region.
Heorhii Tykhyi, the Ukrainian foreign ministry’s spokesman, insisted it launched the cross-border incursion to “protect the lives of our people”. 
Instead, he argued Kyiv, which had revealed little of its operational objectives until now, was working to rid Russia’s borderlands of military assets used to strike Ukraine and draw enemy troops away from eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border a week ago, in an operation that Western analysts believe was aimed at improving Kyiv’s negotiating position and diverting Russian resources away from front lines elsewhere.
By Monday evening, Ukrainian forces were in control of around 1,000 square kilometres of Kursk, according to Oleksander Syrsky, Kyiv’s top general. The Telegraph was not able to verify that figure and independent analysts put the total lower.
But Russia has not been able to capture 1,000 sq km of Ukrainian land in eight months of heavy fighting, Telegraph analysis found.
Russian war bloggers reported on Tuesday that there were battles across a widening front as Ukraine tried to expand its area of control near Lgov, more than 32 miles north of the Ukrainian-Russian border.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russia has pulled troops back from Ukraine to help defend the escalating invasion of its own land.
Putin has ordered his military to “drive out” the Ukrainian forces and appointed his former bodyguard, Alexei Dyumin, as the commander in charge of the operation on Tuesday. 
Mr Dyumin gained favour by once protecting Putin from a bear and is seen as a potential successor to him in the Kremlin.
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Ukraine controls 74 settlements inside Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President said on Tuesday. 
“There are 74 settlements under the control of Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his evening address, after Russia previously said that Ukraine controls 28. 
President Zelensky’s comments came as part of his evening address after Moscow previously said that Ukraine had control of 28 settlements. 
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army, told Mr Zelensky that Ukraine’s Kursk offensive had advanced 1-3 kilometres over the last 24 hours. 
Latvia is preparing to send 500 new drones to Ukraine, the country’s defence minister announced on Tuesday. 
“The next drone pack is ready!” Andris Spruds proclaimed on X, formerly Twitter. 
“Around 500 drones manufactured in Latvia will provide support
for Ukrainians in various combat missions.”
Gatava nākamā dronu pakotne! Ap 500 Latvijā ražotu dronu sniegs atbalstu 🇺🇦ukraiņiem dažādu kaujas uzdevumu veikšanā. #DroneCoalition #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/QLPxMkKugn
Russian civilians who have been evacuated from Kursk will be relocated to Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, local authorities have said. 
Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk, said on Tuesday that temporary accommodation will be set up in Zaporizhzhia, south eastern Ukraine. 
“The first groups of people will be transferred to temporary accommodation centres in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the nearest future. Volunteers from Zaporizhzhia [Oblast] have arrived in Kursk Oblast to help local residents right here, on the ground,” Smirnov said on Telegram. 
Moscow is monitoring the war in Gaza with “great pain and anxiety”, Vladimir Putin told the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting on Tuesday. 
“Everyone is well aware that Russia today, unfortunately, must defend its interests and defend its people with arms in hand,” Putin told Abbas, according to a Kremlin transcript. 
“And of course, we are watching with great pain and anxiety the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Palestine,” the Russian President added.
Russia has ties to both Israel and Palestine, though Putin has hosted Hamas delegations since the conflict broke out on October 7. 
Moldova’s foreign ministry has denied Russian claims it has plans to host F-16 fighter jets given to Ukraine by the West.
Moscow has summoned a senior Moldovan diplomat to express concern over ‘speculation’ that the fighter jets could be based at the country’s airfields before being used to attack Russian territory. 
“Moldova does not and will not host weapons and military equipment, including aircraft destined for Ukraine,” Moldova’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Vladimir Putin has ordered a number of troops to move out of southern Ukraine to defend Russian territory amid the ongoing cross-border assault in Kursk, a Kyiv official has said. 
“Russia has relocated some of its units from both Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine’s south,” Dmytro Lykhoviy, a Ukrainian army spokesman, told POLITICO.
It is not clear exactly how many troops have been relocated, though Mr Lykhoviy said it was a “relatively small” number.
Russian forces on Tuesday struck back at Ukrainian troops with missiles, drones and airstrikes in actions that one senior commander said had halted Ukraine’s advance.
Russian war bloggers reported intense battles across the Kursk front as the Ukrainians tried to expand their control, though they said Russia was bringing in soldiers and heavy weaponry and had repelled many Ukrainian attacks.
Russia’s defence ministry published images of Sukhoi Su-34 bombers striking at what it said were Ukrainian troops in the Kursk border region and said it had repelled attacks at villages about 26-28 km (16-17 miles) from the border.
Their claims cannot be independently verified.
Russia’s emergency ministry said it had opened 400 temporary shelters across the country to deal with 200,000 people forced to flee Ukraine’s offensive which began last week.
The move comes as Russia claims to have stalled Ukraine’s advance into the Kursk region, while Russian military bloggers reported on Tuesday that fierce fighting continues.
 
Vladimir Putin has appointed one of his former bodyguards to lead his personal effort to end Ukraine’s invasion of Russia.
Alexei Dyumin, who guarded Putin in his first two terms and is considered a potential successor for the Kremlin leader, was named “Kurator” of the operation to liberate the Kursk region, Russian military bloggers reported on Tuesday.
He rose to prominence after scaring off a bear that approached one of Putin’s private residences in the 2000s.
The move comes after Putin vowed to drive Ukraine off Russian land during a tense meeting with security chiefs on Monday, as Kyiv’s daring cross-border raid entered its seventh day of fighting.
Read more here.
This is the moment a Russian FPV drone hits a Ukrainian armoured vehicle in Kursk. 
Footage shows troops struggling to get out of the vehicle after the strike. 
The soldiers then run away from the vehicle into a nearby forest. 
Ukraine has received £3.6bn (€4.2 billion) in “crucial” financial aid from the European Union (EU), taking the bloc’s total support for Kyiv above £10bn. 
Denys Shmhyal, the Ukrainian prime minister, expressed “gratitude” to the EU and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, for the support package. 
“This assistance is crucial to maintain our macro-financial stability, advance recovery and drive key reforms,” Mr Shmhyal wrote on X. 
“Together we are building a stronger future.”
Ukraine received €4.2 billion, bringing the total EU support under the Ukraine Facility to €12 billion. This assistance is crucial to maintain our macro-financial stability, advance recovery and drive key reforms. We are grateful to the @EU_Commission and President @vonderleyen…
Volodymyr Zelensky told Russia the war is “coming home” as Ukrainian troops made fresh advances as part of its week-long invasion of the Kursk region.
“Russia brought war to others, and now it is coming home…Ukraine has always wanted peace  –   and we will undoubtedly ensure peace,” the Ukrainian leader said in his nightly address soon after his military claimed to have captured 1,000 square miles of territory.
Despite Moscow’s claims that it had stalled Kyiv’s advance, the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine was still piercing further into Russia in several areas.
“Ukrainian forces reportedly launched new incursions into western Kursk Oblast near Slobodka-Ivanovka, Tetkino, Gordeevka, Uspenka, and Viktorovka,” the US-based think tank said.
Vladimir Putin earlier on Monday vowed to “drive out the enemy” as he accused the West of “fighting us with the hands of Ukrainians” in his first public remarks on the assault.
Ukrainian forces have announced the restriction of civilian movement in the region of Sumy which borders Russia over fears that Russian sabotage groups could try to jeopardise Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into Kursk.
“The military command has introduced restrictions on the movement of all categories of citizens in the 12 mile (20-kilometre) border zone of Sumy region,” Ukraine’s general staff said on Tuesday.
The temporary measure was needed due to an “increase in the intensity of hostilities” and the activation of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the area, it said.
Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked “our sky defenders” for protecting Ukrainian lives and infrastructure after the latest Russian aerial attacks.
“Last night, Russian terror once again received a worthy rebuff. Thirty “Shahed” drones used by Russian terrorists against Ukraine were destroyed,” he wrote on X.
“I thank all our warriors who ensure the safety of our skies for their precision.”
Every success of our sky defenders, every enemy target destroyed, results in defended lives and protected infrastructure. Last night, Russian terror once again received a worthy rebuff. Thirty ‘Shahed’ drones used by Russian terrorists against Ukraine were destroyed.I thank all… pic.twitter.com/WpLYGxHDKO
Donald Trump praised Volodymyr Zelensky as “honourable” and blamed Joe Biden for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his interview with Elon Musk on Monday.
Trump argued that his “strong” relationship with Putin could have prevented the conflict if he had been in office, an argument he has made before.
“I got along with Putin very well, and he respected me,” Trump told Mr Musk. “We would talk about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. But I told him, don’t do it.”
The Republican presidential candidate added: “I’m not going to blame, exclusively, but I can tell you, I could have stopped that”.
The US warned Iran on Monday against sending ballistic missiles to Russia, saying it would invoke a “severe” response and would counter efforts by Tehran to improve relations.
The United States has been in touch with European allies on reports that Iran is “planning to deliver hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia,” Vedant Patel, a state department spokesman, said.
“We are prepared to deliver a swift and severe response if Iran were to move forward with the transfer of ballistic missiles, which would, in our view, represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” he said.
North Korean missiles were used in a Russian attack on settlements in the Kharkiv region that injured four children, local authorities said.
At least five strikes were recorded in the “large-scale” missile attack on Monday evening, they added. 
“The results of the inspection of the recovered debris allow us to draw a preliminary conclusion about the type of one of the missiles used: it is the KN-23 (or KN-24), also commonly known as the Hwasong-11,” Kharkiv’s Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
Russian military units are facing drinking water shortages in Ukraine due to its own strikes against critical infrastructure, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.
It cited a report from a pro-Russian military blogger which highlighted how Russian pilots had been restricted to one litre of water per day, a quarter of the minimum required.
As a result, Russian servicemen have been forced to approach local citizens for water or improvise filtration systems, using “stagnant puddles” for their daily requirements.
Water supply issues faced by Russian pilots will have been exacerbated by record-breaking temperatures in Ukraine, the MoD added.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 13 August 2024. Find out more about Defence Intelligence’s use of language: https://t.co/Bs1ytlZr0C#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/NlXLXajwwu
Volodymyr Zelensky has piled pressure on Britain to allow missile strikes deep inside Russia as he claimed his army’s cross-border attack could oust Vladimir Putin.
However, The Telegraph understands that the UK Government has not given Ukraine approval to use Storm Shadow missiles as part of its Kursk offensive.
“There has been no change,” a government source said.
During a UK visit last month, Mr Zelensky lobbied Sir Keir Starmer to lift restrictions on how the munition, which has a range of about 250 kilometres, is used.
Kyiv has also asked Washington for permission to use its Atacms long-range missile during the Kursk offensive, but that has so far also been refused.
Read more here.
Iran has showcased one of its newest long-range attack drones at a defence exhibit in Russia, Iran’s state news agency reported.
Western officials have accused Iran of sending drones to Russia – including Mohajer-10’s predecessor, the Mohajer-6 – to be used against Ukraine.
Iran released details of the Mohajer-10 system in August last year, saying it had an enhanced flight range, duration and could carry a greater payload. It was accompanied by text saying “prepare your shelters” in both Hebrew and Persian.
According to Iranian media reports, the drone has an operational range of 2,000 km, can fly for 24 hours and carries a payload of 300kg, double the capacity of the Mohajer-6.
Russian forces stepped up their attacks on the Pokrovsk front in eastern Ukraine over the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian military has said, reporting the largest number of battles in the area in a single day in a week.
The increase in fighting comes after Ukraine mounted a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in what some military analysts see as an attempt to divert Russian forces from their main offensives in the east.
Russian forces have been trying to advance towards the Kyiv-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk for months, inching forward incrementally and taking advantage of greater troop numbers.
Belarusian troops were sent to Russia this week to take part in training exercises.
“Crews of missile troops and artillery units of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus are leaving for the Russian Federation training ground to practice combat use issues,” the Belarusian ministry of defence said.
“During the field exercise, units will undergo a control exercise on managing missile strikes with combat launches from missile systems and multiple launch rocket systems,” it added.
It follows an announcement last week that Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, would be increasing its military presence near the Ukraine border.
Lindsey Graham, a US Republican senator, called Ukraine‘s surprise cross-border operation into Russia’s Kursk region “bold” and “beautiful” during a visit to Kyiv.
“What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up,” he told reporters, while urging the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs.
“Bottom line is to the administration… Give them weapons they need to win the war they can’t afford to lose,” he added. 
Russian military bloggers have reported an attempt on Monday by Ukraine’s forces to attack a border crossing in Belgorod region.
Belgorod neighbours the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces began their cross-border raid on Aug 6.
Russia’s state news said that authorities had completely closed entry to the Krasnoyarsk district in western Belgorod, where 11,000 were evacuated from on Monday.
Ukraine has not commented on the reports.
Volodymyr Zelensky is taking “insane” steps that threaten escalation far beyond Ukraine, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the press office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.
The first foreign invasion of Russian soil since the Second World War has been branded “Operation Triangle” after the white marks appeared emblazoned on the sides of Ukraine’s tanks, trucks and Nato military equipment.
Ukrainian sources have said the tactical marking of a triangle is no more than a way for Kyiv’s forces to avoid friendly fire as they operate behind enemy lines as part of their week-long incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
When Russian tanks and fight vehicles invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many were daubed with “Z” symbols in white paint – a marking that quickly became synonymous with support for Vladimir Putin’s war.
John Kirby, the White House’s National Security spokesman, has told Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine if he is so concerned about the situation in Kursk Oblast.
“The only ones who are in a state of war in Ukraine are the Russians themselves. They are the ones invading Ukraine, and Ukraine is defending itself from aggression,” he said.
“This is Russia’s war against Ukraine, nothing more and nothing less, and it has been like that from the very beginning.”
Ukraine pummelled two Russian regions with drones on Tuesday as its ground forces tried to smash through defensive lines in a bid to carve out even more territory in its biggest attack on Russian territory since the war began.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence units destroyed 12 drones over the Kursk region, one over the Belgorod region and one over Voronezh. Russian officials in Kursk and Belgorod put out warnings of missile attacks.
Russian war bloggers reported intense battles across the Kursk front as Ukrainian forces tried to expand their control near Lgov, Bolshoy Soldatskoye and Korenevo – though they said Russia was bringing in both soldiers and heavy weaponry and repelled some of the Ukrainian attacks.
As Ukrainian armoured vehicles maraud around the Russian countryside, they all sport the same symbol – a white triangle.
Tanks, trucks and Nato military equipment bearing the marking, daubed in paint or stuck on with tape, have forced the evacuation of some 180,000 Russian citizens from their homes.
It has been enough for some to brand the first invasion of Russian soil since the Second World War “operation triangle”.
In Ukraine’s Sumy region, a T64 tank with a triangle on its frontal armour was seen edging down a dirt road near the border.
Read the full story here.
Russia launched 38 attack drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said.
Thirty of the drones were destroyed over eight Ukrainian regions, the air force said on Tuesday. It was not clear what happened to the weapons that were not destroyed.
Sumy regional authorities said the attack injured one person and damaged a power line and a gas pipeline, leaving some residents of the city of Sumy without electricity and gas supplies.
The attack also damaged a hospital building and several cars in the region, the authorities said.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on the northern region since Ukraine launched its incursion into the bordering Russian Kursk region.
We’re bringing you all the latest on the war in Ukraine and Kyiv’s ongoing invasion of Russia’s Kursk region.