U.S. Senators hail situation in Russia's Kursk Oblast as 'Historic Breakthrough'
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal weighed in on the recent situation in Russia's Kursk Oblast, describing it as "historic" in an official visit to Kyiv on Aug. 12, Radio Free Europe/Radio Svoboda reported.
The senators expressed strong support for Ukraine and highly praised its Armed Forces efforts.
Senator Graham was particularly enthusiastic, calling the events in Kursk "bold, brilliant, and beautiful," and urged continued efforts.
"What do I think about Kursk? Keep it up! Putin started this, now kick his ass,” Graham said.
“Let these people fight, give them the weapons they need to win a war they can’t afford to lose."
Senator Blumenthal highlighted that the ongoing operations in Kursk Oblast are shifting the war into Russian territory, where it originally began.
"Today is a day of hope, more hope than I’ve seen in all my trips here. The breakthrough toward Kursk is historic. It's a seismic breakthrough,” Blumenthal said.
“This is good, big news, promising even more potential breakthroughs... But the main news is that Ukraine is in Russia. They’re taking the fight to Russian territory."
Blumenthal also urged the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with "greater flexibility and capability" in using weapons to strike deeper beyond the frontlines.
"There are certain restrictions and issues of permissions. We hope to remove those,” he added.
“Expanding these capabilities is crucial from both a tactical and strategic standpoint."
The senators paid an official visit in Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Their discussions included the issue of frozen Russian assets.
Ukraine's offensive in Kursk Oblast
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time on Aug. 12 that Ukraine's Defense Forces were conducting operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast. The goal of this operation is to liberate Ukrainian border areas from Russian forces, who have been regularly shelling Sumy Oblast, Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian forces control approximately 1,000 square kilometers in the Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported.
Russian propagandists were the first to report on Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6.
Ukrainian forces captured three villages and surrounded the Sudzha checkpoint on the first day of the raid, the DeepState portal reported.
Ukraine's Defense Forces destroyed a large column of Russian military equipment near Rylsk in Kursk Oblast, reports indicated on Aug. 9.
Authorities in Kursk Oblast acknowledged the loss of 28 settlements on Aug. 12.
Around 44 settlements have been captured by Ukrainian forces, with the status of 10 more still uncertain. This estimate is "extremely conservative," DeepState analysts said.
Sudzha is among settlements under Ukrainian control - it houses the last functioning transfer point for Russian natural gas through Ukraine to Europe.
The Ukrainian forces are entrenching themselves in Kursk Oblast, planning for long-term control of the territory, Forbes reported.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
