Fierce fighting

Kiev: deployment in Kursk necessary for peace talks

People are being evacuated from the Kursk region.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

According to the government in Kiev, the offensive by Ukrainian troops in the Russian oblast of Kursk is necessary to persuade Russia to enter into peace talks.

"We must inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia," wrote Mychajlo Podoljak, the head of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, on the short message service Telegram on Friday.

"In the Kursk region, we clearly see how military means are being used in a targeted manner to persuade the Russian Federation to engage in a fair negotiation process." Ukrainian troops unexpectedly crossed the border on August 6 and advanced into Kursk. According to their own statements, they have since conquered over 1000 square kilometers of land.

Ukraine has already given assurances that it does not want to occupy the Russian territory permanently. "The sooner Russia agrees to establish a just peace, the sooner the attacks by the Ukrainian defense forces in Russia will stop," a Ukrainian foreign office spokesperson said on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of wanting to improve its "negotiating position" in future talks through its move.

The situation in the Kursk region. The people are stunned.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Putin comes under increasing pressure
The operation in Russia is also seen as an embarrassment for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for 25 years. After launching his war of aggression against Ukraine almost two and a half years ago, the Russian president had repeatedly promised security to the people of the world's largest country in terms of area. Putin first became head of government and then president on August 17, 1999. This Saturday, he will have been in power for a quarter of a century. The anniversary is now overshadowed by the Kursk offensive.

Sudzha, Kursk Oblast

(Bild: APA/AFP/Kommersant Photo/ANATOLIY ZHDANOV)

The Ukrainian ground offensive in Kursk has increased the pressure on Russia's soldiers. Opponents of Putin armed by Kiev are now campaigning to switch sides. "Your political instructors, sitting in the warm back room, urgently recommend not to become prisoners of war, but rather to blow yourself up with your own grenade," wrote the fighters from the "Freedom of Russia" legion on Telegram. But it is better to live than to die for a superior's medal. Those who wish to "fight for a normal future for Russia" can also switch sides and join the legion. "We are ready to communicate with anyone who expresses a desire to take up arms against the Kremlin," the appeal said.

Deaths in attack on shopping center in Donetsk
A particularly violent attack has rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. According to local authorities, a shopping center was hit. The Russian state news agency Tass, citing emergency services, spoke of at least two dead and seven injured in Donetsk. Video footage distributed by the Russian agency Ria Novosti showed thick clouds of smoke billowing out of a completely burnt-out building.

The fire in the "Galaktika" shopping center was the result of an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces, wrote Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk region annexed by Russia, on his Telegram channel. An area of more than 10,000 square meters was in flames. A hospital had also been hit. According to the local authorities, the district in which the shopping center is located was the target of artillery fire from the Ukrainian army. The information could not be independently verified.