The update came from Oleksandr Syrskyi, the leader of Ukraine's military, and was shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Telegram update.
Syrskyi said his forces controlled 74 settlements in Russia's Kursk region as of Tuesday.
Syrskyi also said that on Tuesday alone Ukrainian forces advanced another 1.3 miles and took control of more than 15 square miles of additional Russian territory, Ukrainian outlet The Kyiv Independent reported .
Ukraine's claim would amount to a continued advance in the region despite Russia's attempts to stop it.
Ukrainian servicemen pose for a picture as they repair a military vehicle, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the Russian border in Sumy region, Ukraine August 11, 2024
REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Independent analysis also pointed to Ukraine controlling a growing amount of Russian territory.
France's AFP agency reported that Ukraine controlled at least 308 square miles of Russian territory as of Monday, citing its analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank.
It wasn't certain exactly how the Ukrainian side was defining the 74 settlements it claimed to control.
The ISW said in its update on Tuesday that "it is unclear if Zelensky meant that Ukrainian forces are operating in 74 settlements or if he was referring to another type of geographic administrative unit."
It said it could be sure that Ukraine was operating in around 41 settlements, noting that there were some other "extremely small" ones it did not count.
Medics provide assistance in a vehicle in Russia's Kursk region on Sunday.
Kommersant Photo/Anatoliy Zhdanov via REUTERS
Ukraine's attack appeared to take Russia off guard , prompting anger and recrimination from the Russian nationalist bloggers who provide much of the domestic commentary on the war in the absence of free media.
Ukrainian troops told the BBC that they were able to enter Kursk easily.
Ukraine has stayed largely tight-lipped about the operation, and officials have not stated a motivation for the advance into Russia.
But experts told Business Insider that its motivations could include wanting to stretch Russia's resources in Ukraine, showing its strengths to Western backers, giving its weary troops a morale boost, and trying to secure bargaining chips that it can use with Russia.
The US, a major ally of Ukraine, has largely been quiet about Ukraine's operation. But it has also been unsympathetic to Russia's complaints about the attack .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0