Ukrainian army builds up defense along Seim River: Espreso reports from Kursk region

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

“I am on the road leading to the town of Sudzha. Behind me are two destroyed Russian trawls and two tanks, which the enemy used to hold back the Ukrainian army's offensive. Our film crew has already visited the town of Sudzha, so we have an idea of the situation there,” Lahutenko emphasized.

The Espreso correspondent reassured Ukrainians that there is no confirmed information about Ukraine's readiness to organize humanitarian corridors and supply aid to Sudzha.

“In the city, we did not see any humanitarian aid coming from the territory of Ukraine. Instead, the locals assured us that water and food were provided by our military. As for the possibility of bringing in aid from Ukraine, this issue remains open,” noted Lahutenko.

The Espreso correspondent also added that the border areas of the Kursk region are under the full control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“These are not just regular raids into enemy territory - we are gaining a foothold here. It is now clear that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are building up defenses along the Seim River. It is not yet known how far the Defense Forces will advance and where this defense line will end. We are waiting for good news,” Lahutenko summarized. 

• Espreso correspondent Artem Lahutenko managed to visit all the directions in the Kursk region and find out how the Ukrainian Armed Forces' breakthrough took place.

Ukraine’s cross-border incursion in Russia’s Kursk region

On August 6, the authorities of Russia's Kursk region stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly tried to break through the Russian border, but were pushed back. Later, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that "the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group retreated to its territory.”

On August 7, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin convened the Russian military leadership to discuss the situation in the Kursk region, which he called a "large-scale provocation." At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the international community to "strongly condemn the Kyiv regime's criminal attacks on Russian territory."

On August 10, President Zelenskyy called the operation in the Kursk region “pushing the war into the aggressor's territory.” At night of the same day, the authorities introduced a counterterrorism operation in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions of Russia.

On August 14, it became known that the Ukrainian military had formed a “sanitary (buffer) zone” for self-defense in the Kursk region of Russia. It is planned to open humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and if necessary, military commandant's offices will be established in the Russian region.

At a meeting with the president on August 15, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Ukraine had established the first military commandant's office in the Kursk region to provide humanitarian aid to local residents.

At the same time, Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, together with the military, is currently working on a possible route for a humanitarian corridor for civilians from Kursk to Sumy.

On August 15, The Independent reported that about 2,000 Russian servicemen were captured during an operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.

Ukrainian troops continue to conduct operations in the Kursk region. As of August 19, the Ukrainian Armed Forces took control of 92 settlements.

On August 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region by October 1, 2024.

On August 20, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Ukrainian military controlled 1,263 square kilometers in the Kursk region, including 93 settlements.