Putin orders to dislodge Ukrainian forces from Kursk before Trump’s inauguration - Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared this during the Grain From Ukraine international conference, reports Suspilne.

Zelenskyy expressed confidence that Putin aims to push Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region by January 20 next year. The president noted that for the Russian dictator, "it is crucial to show he controls the situation he actually does not control."

According to Zelenskyy, by launching operations in the Kursk region, Ukraine demonstrated that Russia is incapable of defending its own territory, having diverted all its forces to occupy Ukrainian land.

Read also: Putin seeks to influence Trump, gain leverage with new missile launch, says military expert

"He (Putin) wants to show that he will complete the task of the so-called 'special military operation,' occupying all of Donbas, and he needs to push us out of the Kursk direction. These are his two objectives. Consequently, we face difficulties in the east. Yes, there is insufficient Ukrainian forces there. Yes, there is under-staffing of Ukrainian units due to various reasons, including slow aid delivery," he said.

At the same time, the president emphasized that the Russian army is suffering heavy losses in the Kursk direction. According to him, Russia has never faced such losses before.

"One of our intercepts from the Kursk direction is such that he (Putin) is personally sending requests through command, saying that the entire fate of the ‘special military operation’ rests on the Kursk operation," said Zelenskyy.

• As a result of the Storm Shadow strike on Maryino in the Kursk region on November 20, Russian Lieutenant General Valery Solodchuk and 18 Russian servicemen were likely killed. Officers from North Korea may also have been eliminated.