Ukrainian forces advancing in southern Russia, Zelensky says

Ukraine says its forces are advancing further into Russia’s Kursk region, a week after beginning their cross-border incursion. Kiev’s forces claim to have captured enemy soldiers and destroyed a Russian fighter jet.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday (14) that his forces had advanced in the Kursk region in southern Russia by 1 to 2 kilometers (0.7 to 1.2 miles) since the start of the day. Kiev has already claimed to have control over about 1,000 square kilometers (1,000 square kilometers) of Russian territory since the start of its surprise attack.

“We are advancing in the Kursk region, by 1-2 kilometers in several areas since the beginning of the day,” Zelensky said in a video call with Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Wednesday (14).

Zelensky also said that 100 Russian servicemen had been captured, adding that this would “speed up the return of our young men and women.”

The Ukrainian leader praised the military for carrying out what he called “precise, timely and effective” strikes on Russian airfields on Wednesday (14).

Ukraine has conducted its “largest attack” on Russian airfields since the start of the war, with drones targeting four Russian airfields overnight, a source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told CNN this Wednesday.

Zelensky said Ukrainian drones are working as they should, but warned that there are operations that cannot be done with drones alone.

“We need other weapons — missile weapons. And we continue to work with our partners on long-range solutions for Ukraine,” he said.

Earlier, a video posted by AFP at the Ukrainian border crossing between the Sumy region and Russia’s Kursk region showed a Ukrainian truck carrying blindfolded men in Russian military uniform traveling away from the Russian border.

THE CNN contacted the Ukrainian military for comment on the video.