Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the capture of another Russian village, marking a significant advance in Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive. The announcement comes as Zelensky visited the border region of Sumy, from which Ukrainian forces have recently launched operations into Russian territory. However, Moscow countered by claiming its forces had captured a village in eastern Ukraine.
During his visit to Sumy, Zelensky met with Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s top military commander. While official footage of their meeting was released, the exact timing of the visit remains unclear. In a statement, Zelensky noted a decrease in shelling and civilian casualties in Sumy since Ukrainian forces initiated the Kursk operation. He also confirmed the capture of another Russian village, further solidifying Ukraine’s control over more than 90 settlements in the region.
On the other side, Russian forces have reported a successful defense against a Ukrainian attempt to infiltrate their border, claiming the capture of the village of Mezhove in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. This marks Moscow’s latest advance in its slow but steady push in eastern Ukraine, a campaign that has been ongoing for months as Russia pressures Ukrainian troops worn down by prolonged conflict.
The recent Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, which marked a bold move by Kyiv, has led to several battlefield successes. However, Russia has maintained that it has largely halted the Ukrainian offensive on its territory. The ongoing conflict has seen Ukrainian forces attempt to shift the focus to other border areas, suggesting a broader strategy to disrupt Russian operations along the border.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to conduct drone strikes on Russian targets. In one such attack, Ukrainian forces targeted the Marinovka military airfield in Russia’s Volgograd region, striking a storage site for fuel and glide bombs. Although no casualties were reported, the attack underscores Kyiv’s efforts to weaken Russia’s military infrastructure.
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff reported that the fighting on the eastern front remains intense, with Russian troops launching over 50 assaults in the past 24 hours. Additionally, the Ukrainian navy claimed an attack on a Russian ammunition and fuel storage site on the Kinburn Spit, a strategic location in the Black Sea.
As Ukraine prepares to mark 33 years of independence from the Soviet Union, the conflict shows no signs of abating. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has issued a warning of heightened risks of Russian missile and drone attacks in the coming days, linked to Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations.
