Our soldiers advancing farther into Russia – Zelensky says as Ukrainian soldiers distribute food to Russian civilians

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, August 14,  his troops were “moving further” into Russia, as Kyiv’s biggest ever cross-border attack entered a second week.

The Ukrainian army entered Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, capturing scores settlements in the biggest offensive by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

On Tuesday night, Ukraine separately targeted four Russian airfields overnight with drones in the “largest attack” of its kind since Moscow invaded in 2022, a source in Kyiv’s security services told AFP.

“In the Kursk region, we are moving further. From one to two kilometres (0.6-1.2 miles) in different areas since the beginning of the day,” Zelensky said on social media.

He also said Ukraine had captured “more than 100 Russian servicemen” over the same period and that this would “speed up the return home of our boys and girls”.

The neighbouring Russian region of Belgorod meanwhile declared a state of emergency, as Ukraine also prepares to invade the region.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicated Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had advanced over an area of at least 800 square kilometres of Russia as of Monday.

Russia in a statement said it had repelled attempts by Ukrainian forces to push deeper into Kursk region in five areas.

“The attempts by enemy mobile units using armoured equipment to break through deeper into Russian territory have been repelled,” its defence ministry said.

Ukraine said Tuesday it would not hold on to Russian land it captured and offered to stop raids if Moscow agreed a “just peace”.

“The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace… the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defence forces into Russia will stop,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said.

Also Ukraine said Russia left its citizens without food, water and medicine, and that the Ukrainian army will provide Russian citizens left in Kursk with adequate care.