Zelensky confirms Ukraine troops energetic in Russia’s Belgorod area

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly acknowledged for the primary time that his troops are energetic in Russia’s Belgorod area.

“We proceed to hold out energetic operations within the border areas on enemy territory, and that’s completely simply – struggle should return to the place it got here from,” he mentioned on Monday.

His feedback additionally referred to Russia’s Kursk area, the place Ukraine nonetheless holds a small space after a significant offensive final yr. Moscow has since retaken a lot of the territory.

Zelensky mentioned “the primary goal” was to guard Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv border areas, and to “ease the stress” on different elements of the huge entrance line, notably within the japanese Donetsk area.

Russia’s army had final month reported Ukrainian makes an attempt to cross over into the Belgorod area – however mentioned such assaults had been rebuffed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow presently controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory.

The Kremlin has rejected US and European allegations that it’s dragging its ft on US President Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire within the struggle.

Trump instructed reporters late on Monday that he was “not comfortable about what is going on on”, accusing Russia of “bombing like loopy proper now”. Zelensky’s residence metropolis of Kryvyi Rih held funerals earlier for 20 folks, together with 9 kids, who had been killed in a Russian missile assault final Friday.

In his video deal with late on Monday, Zelensky mentioned he had been briefed by his high commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi concerning the state of affairs on the entrance, “together with our presence within the Kursk and Belgorod areas”.

Zelensky thanked a number of military items defending Ukraine, together with the 225th Assault Regiment deployed within the Belgorod area.

“Properly carried out, guys! I am pleased with every one who’s combating for Ukraine!” the president mentioned.

He offered no additional particulars. It’s his first specific acknowledgement of Ukrainian troops in Belgorod.

On 18 March, Zelensky had not directly confirmed that Ukrainian troops had been there.

“There’s an operation there,” he mentioned when requested by reporters to touch upon a Russian defence ministry assertion that Ukrainian troops had unsuccessfully tried to enter the western a part of the Belgorod area.

Russia had mentioned that every one Ukrainian makes an attempt to advance in the direction of the villages of Demidovka and Prilesye had been rebuffed, and a cross-border raid had been prevented.

Nonetheless, a number of Russian army bloggers on the time reported combating in Demidovka itself, which lies about two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The US-based Institute for the Examine of Battle (ISW) had additionally mentioned in an replace on 21 March that “Ukrainian forces lately superior in Belgorod”.

“Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces superior and are consolidating positions on the outskirts of Demidovka and Prilesye,” the ISW mentioned, including that such claims had been unconfirmed.

Previously two days, Russian army bloggers had reported that Ukrainian forces had been withdrawing from the Demidovka space.

Ukraine’s operation in Belgorod is believed to be on a a lot smaller scale in comparison with its actions in Kursk, the place Kyiv at one level seized numerous villages together with the regional city of Sudzha.

Zelensky and his high commanders have repeatedly mentioned that such incursions have pressured Moscow to redeploy troops from the Donetsk area, the place Russian troops have been making regular – though sluggish – advances in current months.

Ukraine is also hoping to trade the Russian areas it holds for elements of Ukrainian areas occupied by Moscow in any future peace negotiations which can be being pushed for by the US.

Various struggle analysts – each in Ukraine and the West – have questioned the army expedience of Kyiv’s operations on Russian soil, pointing to reported excessive fight casualties and weapons provide difficulties.