Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his first visit Thursday to the border area where his forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia, saying that Kyiv’s military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.
Zelenskyy said the Kursk operation launched Aug. 6 has reduced Russian shelling and civilian casualties in the Sumy region. He said the push into Russia marks the first capture of Russian territory since World War II. As Kyiv continues to lose ground in eastern Ukraine, authorities in the city of Kursk, the capital of the Kursk region, began to put up concrete shelters at bus stops and other locations to protect against shelling.
Putin has ordered the creation of self-defense units in Russian regions bordering Ukraine, the Russian leader said in a video call with officials. Smirnov reported to Putin that over 133,000 people have left areas affected by the fighting in the Kursk region, while more than 19,000 have stayed.
Both sides in the war have been using drones to attack deep behind enemy lines. Ukraine attacked Russia overnight with 28 drones, the Defense Ministry said. Thirteen were shot down over the Volgograd region, seven over the Rostov region, four over the Belgorod region, two over the Voronezh region, and one each over the Bryansk and Kursk regions, the ministry said.
Andrei Bocharov, governor of the Volgograd region, said Thursday that a military facility caught fire after being attacked by drones in the area of Marinovka, where Russia has a military air base. He did not specify what was damaged.
Videos shared on Russian social media showed an explosion in the night sky, reportedly near the base. Marinovka is about 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of the Ukrainian border.
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Conclusion:
* Ukraine’s push into Russia marks the first capture of Russian territory since World War II.
* Both sides have used drones to attack deep behind enemy lines.
* Russia has ordered the creation of self-defense units in regions bordering Ukraine.
FAQs:
* What is the impact of Ukraine’s push into Russia?
* When did Ukraine launch its Kursk operation?
* How many Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russia?
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