October 13, 2024
Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘holding the lines’ in Russia’s Kursk region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv’s forces were holding their ground in Russia’s Kursk border region.
Ukrainian forces have held part of the region since an incursion in early August.
“Regarding the Kursk operation, there were attempts by Russia to push back our positions, but we are holding the lines,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
He also said that the situation for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region and the southern Zaporizhzhia region was “very difficult.”
Zelenskyy also said that, with the help of Western investment, he wants to significantly expand arms production in his country.
“Our industrial capacity allows us to produce far more drones, more shells, and military equipment than our country’s financial capabilities allow,” Zelenskyy said.
He thanked all the partners who have already invested in the Ukrainian defense industry. “Thanks to these investments, we have significantly increased production, particularly of drones,” the Ukrainian president said.
Earlier this week, Russia announced its forces had recaptured two villages in the Kursk region.
Ukraine has said it aims to create a buffer zone in Kursk to stop the Russian shelling of Ukrainian border regions. Zelenskyy also said that Kyiv aims to draw Russian forces away from the eastern frontline in Ukraine’s Donbas.
dh, sdi/wd (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)