Zelensky confirms Russian counteroffensive in Ukrainian-controlled Kursk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday that Russia had begun fighting to take back the parts of its Kursk region occupied by Ukrainian forces last month.

Speaking at a news conference, Zelensky said that the Russian “counteroffensive actions were according to our Ukrainian plan.”

He declined to say anything more about the region, which Ukraine overtook during a surprise incursion in early August. Zelensky has stated before that Kursk — where Ukraine grabbed about 500 square miles, including 100 settlements and nearly 600 prisoners of war — was part of his plan to end the conflict.

In the past two days, though, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that Russian troops had reclaimed 10 settlements in the region, amid worries by Ukraine’s allies over whether Kursk was worth the gamble and whether it can be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations.

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