Ukrainian official unveils reasons for armed forces' offensive in Russia’s Kursk

Advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - Mykhailo Podolyak has announced that Ukrainian authorities plan to enhance their negotiating leverage with Russia by launching an offensive in the Kursk region.

Podolyak believes that military operations within Russian territory will intimidate the Russian population and negatively affect their perception of President Vladimir Putin, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

He argues that such actions by Ukrainian forces on border areas will improve Kyiv's prospects in future negotiations, allowing them to extract concessions and achieve their objectives.

The Kursk region was subjected to a massive attack from Ukraine on August 6. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces attempted to breach the border using tanks and armoured vehicles. The shelling and drone attacks resulted in the deaths of three residents and injured 24 people, including six children. Four more drones were shot down over the region. Acting Governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, stated that he had a phone conversation with the president during the night, briefing him on the situation in the region.