Ukraine's primary and overarching defense task is to destroy as much as possible of Russian combat capability and to achieve as much as possible within the framework of the counteroffensive, says Zelenskyj in a recorded speech on social media on Sunday evening.
This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor's territory, as in our operation in Kursk, says the president.
On Monday, both Zelenskyj and military chief Oleksandr Syrskyj state that Ukraine is achieving its goals in Kursk.
From Ukraine's side, several official and unofficial motives have been put forward for the country's forces crossing the border in a surprise land offensive last Tuesday week.
Russian Advance
Military sources reported early on that one goal was to divert Russian invasion forces from the fiercest battles in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, which many analysts have also seen as a likely purpose.
So far, however, Russia does not seem to have made any major troop movements from the east towards the Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Kursk region. On the contrary, reports are emerging of continued advances towards the city of Pokrovsk, a key hub in Donetsk. According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, the country's forces have captured another settlement near Pokrovsk, where authorities on Monday responded with evacuations.
"We are launching mandatory evacuation of families with children from Pokrovsk and surrounding areas", Governor Vadym Filasjkin announces on Telegram, citing the Russians' rapid advance.
Over 53,000 people are said to live in the area, including nearly 4,000 children.
Green Light from Denmark
Mychajlo Podoljak, a close adviser to Ukraine's President Zelenskyj, said last week that the offensive on Russian soil is intended to enable Ukraine to negotiate peace "on its own terms".
Ukraine's border regions in the northeast have been under regular bombardment from the Russian side during the war. The Ukrainian defense has had limited opportunities to strike back at targets in Russia, as the country's allies have at least previously had reservations about how donated weapons can be used.
In recent weeks, however, several countries have changed their stance and given Ukraine the green light to use their weapons on Russian soil, including the UK and Finland. On Monday, the Danish government also gives the go-ahead for such attacks, reports the news agency Ritzau.
