President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky for the first time publicly acknowledged the fact of the attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the Kursk region of Russia, calling operations in this region “a matter of security for Ukraine.” According to him, the goal of the actions of the Ukrainian military is to liberate the border areas from Russian troops, which, in his opinion, pose a threat to Ukraine.

Zelensky also said that Ukrainian forces control about a thousand square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region.

In addition, the President of Ukraine announced the preparation of a “humanitarian plan” for the Kursk region, the implementation of which will involve the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and other departments. It remains unclear what exactly is meant by this plan and how its implementation will affect the situation in the region.

Against the background of these statements, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexey Smirnov, confirmed that 28 settlements in the region are under the control of Ukrainian forces.