EpaUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has first recognized that his troops are active in the Belgorod region of Russia, which borders Ukraine.
« We continue to perform active operations in the border areas of the enemy territory, and this is absolutely fair: the war must return from where it came from, » he said on Monday.
His comments also referred to the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukraine is still a small area after a significant offensive last year. Since then, Moscow has resumed most of the territory.
Zelensky said that « the main goal » was to protect the Ukraine Sumy and Kharkiv border regions and to « facilitate pressure » on other parts of the vast frontal line, particularly in the Eastern region of Donetsk.
The Russian military reported the Ukrainian attempts last month to cross in the Belgorod region, but said that these attacks had been reformed. The areas in question are a short distance within Russian territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a large -scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and currently controls about 20% of Ukraine territory.
The Kremlin has rejected the North -European and European Complaints, which is dragging his feet to the push of United States President Donald Trump, for a high fire in the war.
Trump told journalists on Monday afternoon that he was not « happy with what happens », accusing Russia of « bombing as crazy right now. » Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih celebrated funerals before 20 people, including nine children, who were killed in a Russian missile attack last Friday.
In his video address at the end of Monday, Zelensky said he had been informed by his highest commander Oleksandr Syrskyi on the front situation, « including our presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. »
Zelensky thanked several army units that defended Ukraine, including the 225th Assault Regiment deployed in the Belgorod region.
« Well done, guys! I’m proud of all who fight for Ukraine! » The president said.
Did not provide further details. It is his first explicit recognition of Ukrainian troops in Belgorod.
On March 18, Zelensky had indirectly confirmed that the Ukrainian troops were there.
« There is an operation there, » he said when journalists asked him to comment on a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense that Ukrainian troops had unsuccessfully tried to enter the western part of the Belgorod region.
Russia had said that all Ukrainian attempts to move towards the peoples of Demidovka and Prilesye had been reformed and a cross -border raid had been avoided.
However, several Russian military bloggers at that time reported to fight Demidovka, which is about two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) had also said in an update on March 21 that « the Ukrainian forces recently advanced to Belgorod ».
« The Russian milboggers stated that the Ukrainian forces advanced and consolidated positions on the outskirts of Demidovka and Prilesye, » said Isw, who added that these statements were not confirmed.
In the last two days, Russian military bloggers had reported that Ukrainian forces were withdrawn from the Demidovka area.
ISW analysts told the BBC that from Monday they believed that 12 km2 of the Belgorod region was still under Ukrainian control, while about 60 km2 in the Kursk region was still in Ukrainian hands.
It is believed that the Ukraine operation in Belgorod is on a much smaller scale compared to its actions in Kursk, where Kiev at one point seized several villages, including the regional city of Southzha.
Zelensky and his highest commanders have repeatedly said that these raids have forced Moscow to reorganize troops in the Donetsk region, where Russian troops have been constantly making advantages, though slow, in recent months.
Ukraine could also expect to exchange the Russian areas it has for parts of the Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow in future peace negotiations that the United States.
Several war analysts, both in Ukraine and in the West, have questioned the military expedition of Kiev’s operations to Russian soil, pointing to the casualties of combat and the difficulties of supplying weapons.
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