The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, spoke about the concentration of the Russian military in the Kursk region, noting that as of this moment, about 60,000 Russian soldiers are stationed there. He emphasized that the operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia are not aimed at occupying or seizing foreign territories.
Zelensky noted that the actions of the Ukrainian army were aimed solely at protecting their own country and the lives of their citizens. "It was a tactical success for Ukraine, but not for the occupation. We do not need their territory, their lands or people. We just want to live peacefully at home without war. This is our main goal," the president explained.
The President also reminded that Russia's actions were aimed at occupying the northern regions of Ukraine, in particular the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. This forced the Defense Forces to take preventive measures. According to Zelenskyi, the threat of capturing such large cities as Kharkiv and Sumy, with a significant population, could lead to mass casualties among civilians.
"If Putin decided to occupy these cities, hundreds of thousands of people would die. We had to act in advance. We saw a large gathering of their troops, which were preparing for the occupation of Sumy, and took the first step. This greatly helped us restrain the enemy," Zelensky emphasized.
He added that currently Russia has transferred a significant part of its forces from the Kharkiv direction to Kursk. This made it possible for the Defense Forces of Ukraine to successfully confront the aggressor in the Kharkiv region.
