‘Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk an attempt to stop Russian offensive’

Kyiv: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that the Ukrainian army’s incursion into the Kursk region, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee and embarrassed the Kremlin, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.

Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after

almost a week of fierce fighting, but Putin insisted Moscow’s army will prevail.

Speaking at a meeting with top security and defense officials, Putin said the attack that began Aug. 6 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s attempt

to gain a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian military forces are operating inside the Kursk region. In a post on Telegram, he praised the country’s soldiers and commanders “for their steadfastness and decisive actions.”

He did not elaborate. He also suggested that Ukraine would offer humanitarian assistance in the region.

Putin said Ukraine may have hoped that the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but

that it has failed to achieve that goal, and he claimed that the number of volunteers to join the Russian military has increased because of the assault. He said Russian forces will carry on with their offensive in eastern Ukraine regardless.