Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Ukraine’s troops are active in Belgorod oblast in his first public admission of an incursion into a second Russian region.
Military analysts and Russian bloggers have reported battles in Belgorod region between Russian and Ukrainian troops but this had not been publicly acknowledged by the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky said Monday his forces were carrying out operations in Russian border regions, with the aim of protecting two Ukrainian oblasts on the other side of the frontier. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Ukraine has lost much of the territory it gained during its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region last August which had been intended as leverage in peace negotiations.
Kyiv’s forces then moved into Belgorod, further south, which also borders Ukraine and Zelensky’s admission of this shows he wants to amplify the message that his country is very much in the fight, despite setbacks in peace negotiations.
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What To Know
Ukrainian troops launched a raid into Russia’s Belgorod Oblast in late March in what was seen as a move to ease pressure on its forces fighting in the adjacent Kursk.
Zelensky had been tight-lipped about the operation, only indirectly referring to it. But during his nightly address on Monday, he confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops were in the region.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had presented a report about “our presence” in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions with the aim of returning the war “to where it came from.”
Zelensky said that the main objective was to protect Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions from Russian forces and congratulated the Ukraine’s 225th Assault Regiment, without giving any more details about the operation.
He said that a Ukrainian bridgehead near Kursk created last summer allowed an easing of pressure in other directions of the front, including the Donetsk region.
Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi, from the Finland-based Black Bird Group told Newsweek last month it was difficult to see what the Belgorod operation could achieve, apart from maybe briefly shifting Russia’s attention from the Sumy and Kursk oblasts.
Kastehelmi said that there was no proper element of surprise, and the Russian presence in the area is strong enough for at least defensive operations to restrict Ukrainian attacks.
Geolocated footage on Monday showed Russian advances in central Demidovka, a town described as a contested “gray zone” located northwest of Belgorod City where Ukrainian forces maintain positions, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
One pro-Moscow Telegram channel said Russian forces are using first-person view (FPV) drones with fiber optic cables to counter Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky: We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and that is absolutely just—war must return to where it came from … Our main objective remains the same: to protect our land and our communities in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions from Russian occupiers.”
Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi: “The Ukrainians may be able t take some additional villages in the border area or launch new incursions in other directions, but I would only expect to see small tactical success.”
What Happens Next
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russian forces can carve out a buffer zone along the border but Zelensky’s comments suggest that Ukraine will continue its operation in Belgorod. However, Kastehelmi’s view is that for Ukraine, this was likely a fixing operation and not a landgrab with large goals.