Humanitarian organizations that wanted to help residents of the Kursk region controlled by Ukrainian forces had the opportunity to do so. However, the Ukrainian military is ones who now helping the people there.
This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with journalists on Monday, answering a question about whether Ukraine allowed the creation of a humanitarian corridor in the Kursk region and the provision of aid to the local population, the Babel correspondent reports.
"We gave signals to all humanitarian organizations. Whoever wanted to come, they came. There is no full house there," Zelensky noted.
He added that he was grateful to the journalists who went to occupied Kursk region to show it.
Zelensky noted that there is a corridor through which the local population could leave for the Russian Federation. Some people did it, while the rest still live in the Kursk region and are not going to leave. According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian military is helping them with food, water and medicine.
"The only thing I would pay attention to is that Russia has already destroyed many of their homes with artillery. People there are in shock, they donʼt understand how Russia can shoot at them," he added
Zelensky also noted that the Kursk operation had a great international resonance.
"It had a great influence on everyone. Especially for players from the Global South. Of course, this is such a serious shock for them and signals that speak about the state of the Russian army: for several months, their army cannot push the Ukrainian military out of the territory of the Russian Federation," the president said.
He added that the Ukrainian military continues to perform its tasks in the Kursk area, and "will perform them as long as necessary."
"This is an important aspect, they need to do it," Zelensky emphasized.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.