Ukraine back on top after seizing swathes of Russian land, says ex-officer

Raids deep into Russian territory have enabled Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces to get “back on top”, a former British Army officer has said after Ukraine’s top military commander claimed his country now controls 1,000 square miles of the Kursk region.

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford said it remained to be seen whether Ukrainian soldiers would stick around – but suggested they may opt to use the occupation of Russian territory as a bargaining chip.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi made the startling revelation in a video posted Monday to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Telegram channel. In the video, he briefed the president on the front-line situation.

He explained: “The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control.”

Russian forces are struggling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after nearly a week of fierce fighting.

Putin himself has said the incursion, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee, is a bid by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.

Lt Col Crawford, who spent 20 years in the 4th Royal Tank Regiment, told Express.co.uk: “Ukraine has managed to wrestle back the initiative from the Russians, for a short time at least.

“Now Putin is dancing to Zelensky’s tune for a change.

“Whether this is just a cross-border raid as some have claimed or whether they plan to stay remains to be seen.

“If the idea behind it is to be able to trade territory in any peace negotiations then they’ll be staying, if they can.”

Lt Col Crawford continued: “The Ukrainians are back on top again, perhaps only temporarily, after months of defending against grinding Russian assaults elsewhere.

“Their operational security (OPSEC) that allowed them to take their enemies and the rest of the world by surprise here is impressive.”

Zelensky yesterday confirmed for the first time that the Ukrainian military is inside the Kursk region. On Telegram, he praised his country’s soldiers and commanders “for their steadfastness and decisive actions.”

He did not elaborate but added: “Russia brought war to others. Now it is coming home.”

Also speaking yesterday during a meeting with top security and defense officials, Putin said the attack which began on August 6 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s attempt to achieve a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war. He insisted Moscow’s army would prevail.

Putin said Ukraine may have hoped the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but that it has failed to do so, and he claimed the number of volunteers to join the Russian military has increased because of the assault.

He said Russian forces will carry on with their offensive in eastern Ukraine regardless.

Putin declared: “It’s obvious that the enemy will keep trying to destabilize the situation in the border zone to try to destabilise the domestic political situation in our country.”

Russia’s main task was to “drive the enemy out of our territories and, together with the border service, to ensure reliable cover of the state border”, he emphasised.

Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov told Putin that Ukrainian forces had pushed 7.5 miles into the Kursk region across a 25-mile front and currently control 28 Russian settlements.

Smirnov said 12 civilians have been killed and 121 others, including 10 children, have been wounded. About 121,000 people have been evacuated or left the areas affected by fighting on their own, he added.

Tracking down all the Ukrainian units that are roaming the region and creating diversions is difficult, Smirnov said, noting that some are using fake Russian IDs.

The governor of the Belgorod region adjacent to Kursk also announced the evacuation of people from a district near the Ukrainian border.