Zelensky: The Kursk operation thwarted Russiaʼs plans to create a buffer zone on the territory of Ukraine

The operation of the Defense Forces in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation thwarted Russiaʼs plans to create its own buffer zone on the territory of Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this at a press conference.

"The Kursk operation brought several things. First of all, the occupation of Kharkiv region has been stopped, we had information about the creation [by Russia] of buffer zones in the Kharkiv region, and then in the north. We didnʼt know the specifics, but we understood that Sumy and Chernihiv regions — thatʼs what could be in the plans," he emphasized.

The President emphasized that the Kursk operation prevented the occupation of Sumy and Chernihiv regions, and also destroyed a serious grouping of Russian troops.

"And today, the movement [of Russian forces] after the Kursk operation from the Kharkiv region and the Zaporozhzhia region has actually already taken place. Whether it will continue depends on us, how long we will successfully continue the Kursk operation. And the fact that they are not withdrawing their troops from Donetsk is clear: their troops are the most prepared there and this is their strategic direction — they really want to occupy Donetsk," Zelensky added.

He also commented on media reports that the Kursk operation apparently disrupted energy negotiations in Qatar.

"The Kursk operation and the meeting in Qatar are completely unrelated things. The Kursk operation is not connected with any of the clauses of the peace formula. A lot of things are written, but sometimes it does not help much. The Kursk operation had other goals than a meeting on energy with colleagues. Energy is very important, but it is important to end the war," the president said, without specifying whether they planned to meet with representatives of the Russian Federation in Qatar.

Zelensky added that the meeting was not interrupted — it was held online.

The Kursk operation

For the first time, it became known about the offensive of the Defense Forces in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation on August 6 — then Russian telegram channels and "military corps" wrote about it.

For the first time, Ukraine officially confirmed the operation only on August 12. As of August 27, 1 294 km² and 100 settlements of this region are under the control of Ukraine, and 594 occupiers were captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

For self-defense, the Ukrainian military formed a buffer zone on the territory of the Kursk region.

On August 15, Ukraine created the first military command post in the Kursk region