Putin orders Russian troops to retake Kursk Oblast before Trump’s inauguration, says Zelenskyy
Russian president's order to reclaim Kursk territory by 20 January signals mounting pressure on Russian forces as Ukraine’s gains expose vulnerabilities in Moscow’s defenses.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to push Ukraine’s Defense Forces out from Kursk Oblast by the day of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to Suspilne.
The inauguration of the new US president is scheduled for 20 January 2025. Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he will ensure the war between Russia and Ukraine is quickly brought to an end. However, its unclear how Trump will push Moscow to a peace negotiations with Ukraine. The sources in Trump’s team suggested that the new US president will possibly end war at the expense of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. This approach has raised concerns among allies about the future of US support for Ukraine and the potential for a peace deal that could favor Russian interests.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said that Russia is trying to push Ukrainian troops out from Kursk Oblast. He made these remarks at the Grain from Ukraine International Conference on Food Security.
“For Putin, driving us out of Kursk Oblast is paramount. Demonstrative strikes with new missiles are no coincidence. He wants to push us out by 20 January next year. It’s critical for him to showcase control over a situation he does not actually control,” said Zelenskyy.
On 21 November, Russia struck Dnipro with a Multiple Independently-Targetable Reentry Vehicle missile carrying conventional warheads. Ukraine identified it as an intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from a Kedr missile system. Russia has never used such a weapon against Ukraine before. An investigation into the attack and assessment of the damage is ongoing.
Speaking at the food security conference, the Ukrainian president emphasized that the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast highlights the inability of Putin’s regime to defend Russian territory, as all Russian military resources are concentrated on Ukraine’s occupied territories.
“We intercepted a communication on the Kursk front where Putin, through his commanders, personally appeals to soldiers, saying the entire fate of the ‘special military operation’ hinges on the Kursk campaign,” Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, a source in the Ukrainian military said that Kyiv’s operation in Kursk Oblast disrupted Russia’s offensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The occupiers were forced to redeploy one of their most combat-ready units from Zaporizhzhia Oblast to Russia for defense.
Related:
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- Scholz calls for peace in Ukraine during first phone call with Putin in two years
- Telegraph: Ukraine defense support at risk as German government dissolves
- Media: Trump names JD Vance, one of the critics of US aid for Ukraine, as 2024 running mate
