Zelenskyy comments on alleged Belgorod Oblast operation in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to claims by Russian military correspondents about a supposed Ukrainian operation in Belgorod Oblast, speaking to journalists in an online briefing.
Without directly confirming Ukrainian troop presence there, he said Defense Forces units remain active in Kursk Oblast, where they will stay “as long as this operation is needed for us.”
Zelenskyy noted Russia has amassed fresh troop concentrations opposite Sumy Oblast to strike Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
He asserted that while Russian forces occupy Ukrainian land, Ukraine retains the right to take all measures to “thwart Putin’s steps to seize more of our territories.”
In a cryptic remark, he added, “Some think someone ran [from Kursk Oblast], but someone left and entered elsewhere.”
The day prior, pro-war Russian Telegram channels reported a mechanized Ukrainian assault across the border into Belgorod Oblast near Demidovka, Grafovka, and Maryino, fueling speculation about new Ukrainian moves.