Ongoing hostilities in Kursk defy Kremlin’s claims of Russian control — Defense Express

Valeriy Riabykh, a military expert and development director of the Defense Express media and consulting company, shared the information on Espreso TV.

“Right now, the war is being fought not only on the battlefield, but also in the information domain, and the Kremlin is trying to use such narratives to cheer up its population. Although, frankly speaking, it's not going very well, because some residents of the Kursk region have left and can no longer stay there. And that’s the main fact.

But based on official data, we can say that fighting continues - as confirmed by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Their report states that the enemy is pressing in the Kursk direction, but cannot achieve everything they aim for. Currently, due to the inability to carry out large-scale attacks in sufficient numbers, Russian forces are primarily focusing on artillery and, most of all, air strikes,” he noted.

According to data provided by Ukraine's General Staff, there were 17 airstrikes and nearly 200 artillery attacks over the past day.

Therefore, Valeriy Riabykh noted that this does not match the picture the Kremlin is trying to paint.

“What’s actually happening is that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have established and are currently maintaining a buffer zone. This is being achieved through the widespread use of various types of drones and the creation of a so-called ‘kill zone.’ According to various estimates, this restricted area lies within Russian territory, stretching from the Ukrainian border into the Kursk region by about 10 to 15 kilometers in different sectors. These are planned measures by Ukraine’s Defense Forces aimed at preventing the enemy from creating threats along the Sumy axis. Reports from specific Ukrainian military units operating in the area also indicate that the enemy is gradually amassing equipment and forces to later attempt to intensify actions either in the Sumy or Kharkiv directions. This is primarily due to the Russian logistical convenience in these areas,” the military expert added.

• Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region "for the first time since the region was liberated from the Ukrainian Armed Forces," according to Russian media.
• On May 21, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled five attacks in the Kursk region.