Ukraine fighting 10,000 Russian troops in Kursk region
Around 10,000 Russian soldiers are fighting in Russia's Kursk region, about 90 square km of which is controlled by Ukraine, Ukraine's top military commander said.
"We control about 90 square kilometers of territory in the Hlushkov district of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, and these are our preemptive actions in response to a possible enemy attack," Oleksandr Syrskyi said without elaborating, in remarks released by his office for publication on Sunday.
The Ukrainian military said the activity in this area prevented Russia from sending a significant number of its forces to Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place in the more than three-year-old full-scale invasion.
Syrskyi's troops are repelling Russian forces along the frontline, which stretches for about 1,200 km, where the situation remains difficult, the Ukrainian military said.
Russian gains have accelerated in May and June, though the Ukrainian military says it comes at a cost of high Russian casualties in small assault-group attacks.
While the military says its troops repelled Russian approaches toward Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region borders last week, the pressure continues in the country's eastern and northern regions.
The Russian military also continues its deadly drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian cities further from the front, prompting Ukraine to innovate its approaches to air defence.
Ukraine's military said it currently destroys around 82 per cent of Shahed-type drones launched by Russia but requires more surface-to-air missile systems to defend critical infrastructure and cities.
The military said the air force was also working on developing the use of light aircraft and drone interceptors in repelling Russian assaults which can involve hundreds of drones.
Ukraine also relies on its long-range capabilities to deal damage to economic and military targets on Russian territory, increasing the cost of war to Moscow.
Between January and May, Ukraine dealt over $1.3 billion in direct losses in the Russian oil refining and fuel production industry, energy and transport supplies as well as strategic communications, the Ukrainian military said.
It also dealt at least $9.5 billion more of indirect damages through the destabilisation of the oil refining industry, disruption of logistics and forced shutdown of enterprises, it added.
It was not clear whether the Ukrainian military included the damages from its operation "Spider's Web" which damaged Russian warplanes -- and Ukraine said cost billions in losses -- in the estimates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ARN News Center
5 hours ago
- ARN News Center
Ukraine fighting 10,000 Russian troops in Kursk region
Around 10,000 Russian soldiers are fighting in Russia's Kursk region, about 90 square km of which is controlled by Ukraine, Ukraine's top military commander said. "We control about 90 square kilometers of territory in the Hlushkov district of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, and these are our preemptive actions in response to a possible enemy attack," Oleksandr Syrskyi said without elaborating, in remarks released by his office for publication on Sunday. The Ukrainian military said the activity in this area prevented Russia from sending a significant number of its forces to Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place in the more than three-year-old full-scale invasion. Syrskyi's troops are repelling Russian forces along the frontline, which stretches for about 1,200 km, where the situation remains difficult, the Ukrainian military said. Russian gains have accelerated in May and June, though the Ukrainian military says it comes at a cost of high Russian casualties in small assault-group attacks. While the military says its troops repelled Russian approaches toward Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region borders last week, the pressure continues in the country's eastern and northern regions. The Russian military also continues its deadly drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian cities further from the front, prompting Ukraine to innovate its approaches to air defence. Ukraine's military said it currently destroys around 82 per cent of Shahed-type drones launched by Russia but requires more surface-to-air missile systems to defend critical infrastructure and cities. The military said the air force was also working on developing the use of light aircraft and drone interceptors in repelling Russian assaults which can involve hundreds of drones. Ukraine also relies on its long-range capabilities to deal damage to economic and military targets on Russian territory, increasing the cost of war to Moscow. Between January and May, Ukraine dealt over $1.3 billion in direct losses in the Russian oil refining and fuel production industry, energy and transport supplies as well as strategic communications, the Ukrainian military said. It also dealt at least $9.5 billion more of indirect damages through the destabilisation of the oil refining industry, disruption of logistics and forced shutdown of enterprises, it added. It was not clear whether the Ukrainian military included the damages from its operation "Spider's Web" which damaged Russian warplanes -- and Ukraine said cost billions in losses -- in the estimates.
Gulf Today
12 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Orban's anti-Ukraine campaign targets political rival
As Hungary heads toward national elections next spring and the populist government's popularity slumps, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has zeroed in on a central theme he hopes will sway voters: an alleged threat posed by neighboring Ukraine. While most European Union countries have offered political, financial, and military support to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Hungary under Orbán has charted a starkly different course — refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons or allow their transit through Hungarian territory, demanding sanctions relief and rapprochement with Russia, and adopting a combative stance toward both Kyiv and its EU backers. With his ruling Fidesz party slipping in the polls and a new opposition force gaining momentum, Orbán has escalated a sweeping anti-Ukraine campaign — presenting the upcoming election as a referendum on peace or war. Going further, he has accused his leading political opponent of entering into a treasonous pact with Kyiv to overthrow his government and install a pro-Western, pro-Ukraine administration. Some of his ideas mirror the growing anti-Ukraine messaging coming from right-wing populists in the West, including from President Donald Trump. 'Let's be under no illusions: Brussels and Ukraine are jointly building up a puppet government (in Hungary),' Orbán said on June 6 in comments to state radio. 'They want to change Hungary's policy toward Ukraine after the next elections, or even sooner.' At the heart of Orbán's claims is Ukraine's ambition to join the EU, something Kyiv believes would place it firmly within the embrace of the West and provide a measure of security against potential Russian attacks in the future. While Orbán was a firm supporter of Ukraine's eventual EU accession shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he now argues that its membership — which will likely take many years — would flood Hungary with crime, cheap labor, and low-quality agricultural products, threatening national sovereignty and economic stability. He has also spuriously claimed that Brussels and Kyiv intend to force Hungarians to fight Russia on the front lines. On Monday, Orbán posted a video to his social media page depicting animated, artificial intelligence-generated scenes of bloodied, machine-gun wielding Hungarian soldiers engaged in armed conflict, and rows of caskets lined beneath Hungarian flags. 'We don't want our children, in the form of the Hungarian army, to be deployed to the Ukrainian front lines or to Ukrainian territory and to come back in coffins,' he said in the video. Central to Orbán's life-or-death narrative of the Hungarian election is his growing campaign against his main political rival, Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider whose new Tisza party has surged in popularity. Once married to Hungary's former justice minister, Magyar has become the most formidable challenger to Orbán's rule since the EU's longest-serving leader took office in 2010. With Tisza leading Fidesz in most independent polls, some analysts and domestic critics believe Orbán may be laying the groundwork to discredit or even disqualify Magyar ahead of the 2026 election. Péter Krekó, director of the Budapest-based Political Capital think tank, said Orbán's attempt to link Magyar and Tisza to the image of a dangerous Ukraine is aimed at neutralizing his domestic opposition as popular sentiment appears to be turning against him. 'There is an ongoing campaign against any critical voices in Hungary saying that they are agents of Ukraine, and this can be used also against the Tisza party,' he said. 'If you can't win back public opinion anymore, then you can try to use a more authoritarian toolkit.'
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Afghanistan turns to Russia for some food supplies amid Iran-Israel war
Afghanistan is in discussions with Russia to import certain foodstuffs as the conflict between Israel and Iran, one of its largest trading partners, risked cutting off supplies, its agriculture minister told Reuters. As relations between Russia and the Taliban government have been improving, an Afghan delegation is visiting Russia's main economic conference in St. Petersburg this week, meeting Russian agriculture officials. "Afghanistan is definitely aiming for self-sufficiency in its agricultural products. However, we still rely on some food items that come from Iran, and if problems arise there, it will undoubtedly have its effects," Ataullah Omari said on the sidelines of the conference. Iran supplies Afghanistan with some dairy products, among other commodities, and there is widespread concern the week-old war between Israel and Iran could disrupt trade flows Russia - the world's largest wheat exporter - and Kazakhstan are the main suppliers of wheat and flour to Afghanistan. Russia is also supplying sugar and vegetable oil. Omari said that the country is now seeking wheat rather than flour from Russia. Afghanistan, the top buyer of Russian flour in 2024, increased its own wheat production by 10% last year to 4.83 million metric tons. The country's total wheat consumption is estimated at 6.8 million metric tons a year. "For the past four years, since the withdrawal of the Americans, we have been making efforts to provide our essential food supplies ourselves. The remaining amount, including flour and wheat, is supplied annually by Russia," Omari said. "We have requested that Russia send us wheat instead of flour. Additionally, the import of other products that come from Russia to our country annually is progressing well," he added. In April, Russia lifted its ban on the Taliban, which it had designated as a terrorist organisation for more than two decades, paving the way for Moscow to normalise ties with Afghanistan's leadership. Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil, and wheat from Russia, marking the first major economic deal after the Taliban returned to power, facing international isolation following 20 years of war against US-led forces. Omari expressed concern about Afghan refugees living in Iran who could become victims of Israel's attacks. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals reside in Iran. "Any kind of damage that occurs there is absolutely unsatisfactory for our nation and our people, especially for many of our refugees who live there and are our brothers," he said. Reuters
