President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 22 that the Kursk incursion had delivered some success, primarily diverting Russian troops from other parts of the front line.
But, when pressed to say whether the operation was a success, the president told The New Yorker that it was "too early to judge."
"It has slowed down the Russians and forced them to move some of their forces to Kursk on the order of 40,000 troops. Already, our fighters in the east say that they are being battered less frequently," Zelensky said in the interview.
"I'm not saying it's a resounding success or will bring about the end of the war or the end of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. What it has done is show our partners what we're capable of," the president added.
Abbey Fenbert
Zelensky also added that Ukrainian troops are continuing to provide Russian civilians trapped in the area food, water, and other commodities.
"These people are free to leave: all the necessary corridors are open, and they could go elsewhere in Russia—but they do not," the president said.
Ukrainian officials previously shared different accounts of the situation.
Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, a spokesman for Ukraine's military administration in Kursk Oblast, said Russian civilians from occupied areas could leave for Russian-controlled territory only after Ukraine and Russia "agree, through international organizations that deal with these issues, to open a green corridor under the supervision of observers."
Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, seizing around 100 settlements and over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles).
Russia's counterattack in Kursk Oblast aiming to retake Ukrainian-held territory has been stopped, Dmytrashkivskyi told AFP on Sept. 18.
The statement comes a week after Moscow launched a counteroffensive against the western flank of Ukrainian troops in the Russian region.
"They tried to attack from the flanks, but they were stopped there," Dmytrashkivskyi said.
Asami Terajima
