By Canadian Press

Ukraine’s army chief says his troops control nearly 500 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region

Aug 27, 2024 | 5:36 AM

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The chief of Ukraine’s army said Tuesday that the country’s troops control nearly 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russia’s Kursk region.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Ukraine has captured 594 Russian prisoners in its operation, which began Aug. 6 and caught Russia by surprise.

His claim could not be immediately confirmed.

“The enemy drags troops from other directions, in such way weakening them; They attempt to create a ring of defense around our offensive group of troops and plan counter-offensive actions,” Syrskyi said, commenting on the situation in the Kursk region.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Nighttime Russian drone and missile attacks struck across Ukraine, killing at least five people on Tuesday, a day after a heavy barrage pounded energy facilities throughout the country.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks included 81 drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles and that 16 people were injured. He said four people died, but the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region later said a fifth person had died there from burns in the attacks.

“We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished.” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

In the Kyiv region, which had struggled with blackouts after Monday’s onslaught, five air alerts were called during the night. The regional administration said air defenses destroyed all the drones and missiles but that falling debris set off forest fires.

After the Monday barrage across Ukraine of more than 100 missiles and a similar number of drones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said “the energy infrastructure has once again become the target of Russian terrorists” and urged Ukraine’s allies to provide it with long-range weapons and permission to use them on targets inside Russia.

President Joe Biden called Monday’s Russian attack on energy infrastructure “outrageous” and said he had “reprioritized U.S. air defense exports so they are sent to Ukraine first.” He also said the U.S. was “surging energy equipment to Ukraine to repair its systems and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy grid.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks used “long-range precision air- and sea-based weapons and strike drones against critical energy infrastructure facilities that support the operation of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex. All designated targets were hit.”

In Russia, meanwhile, officials reported four Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Kursk region, where Russian forces are fighting Ukrainian troops that made a surprise incursion this month.

The fighting in the region has raised concerns about the nuclear power plant there. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi arrived inspected the plant on Tuesday, but did not immediately give a public assessment.

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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

The Associated Press