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President of Ukrainian Volodimir Zelensky for the first time acknowledged that his troops are actively working in the Russian region of Belgorad.
“We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on the enemy territory, and it is absolutely simple – the war should return to where it came from,” he said on Monday.
His comments also referred to the Russian region of Kursk, where last year Ukraine still occupied a small area. Moscow has since reworked most of the territory.
Zelensky said that the “main goal” was to protect the border regions of Ukraine and Kharkiv, as well as “alleviate” on other parts of the huge front line, especially in the Eastern Donetsk region.
Last month, the Russian military reported on Ukrainian attempts to move to the Belgorod region – but they stated that such attacks were rebuff.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a full -scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine.
In his video, Zelensky said at the end of Monday that he was informed by General General Alexander Siskei, about the situation at the front, “including our presence in the Kursk and Belgrad regions.”
Zelensky thanked several army units that defended Ukraine, including the 225th attack regiment, located in the Belgorod region.
“Well done guys! I am proud of everyone who fights for Ukraine!” The president said.
He did not submit additional details. This is his first obvious recognition of Ukrainian troops in Belgorod.
On March 18, Zelensky indirectly confirmed that there were Ukrainian troops.
“There is an operation,” he said, to ask the journalists to comment on the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense that the Ukrainian troops tried unsuccessfully to enter the western part of the Belgor region.
Russia has stated that all Ukrainian attempts to move towards the villages of Demidov and Proseci were rebuff and a cross -border raid was prevented.
However, several Russian military bloggers at the time reported the fight in Demidov itself, which is about two kilometers (1.2 mph) from the Ukrainian border.
The US Institute for the Study of the War (ISW) also stated in updating on March 21 that “Ukrainian forces have recently advanced in Belgorod.”
“The Russian Milblogers claim that the Ukrainian forces have put forward and consolidate positions on the outskirts of Demidov and Proseci,” the ISW said, adding that such claims were not confirmed.
Over the past two days, Russian military bloggers have reported that Ukrainian forces are being removed from the Demidov area.
It is estimated that Ukraine’s operation in Belgorod is on a much smaller scale compared to its actions in Kursk, where Kiev at one point confiscated a number of villages, including the regional city of the court.
Zelensky and its main commanders have repeatedly said that such invasion made Moscow redo troops from the Donetsk region, where Russian troops are stable – although slow ones in recent months.
Ukraine may also hope to exchange the Russian districts it is held for the parts of the Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow in any future peace talks that push the United States.
A number of military analysts – both in Ukraine and in the West – have questioned the military expediency of Kiev’s activity on Russian soil, pointing to reports of high combat losses and difficulties from the supplies of weapons.
