Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Monday that Ukrainian forces had gained control of at least 1,250 square kilometers of the Russian region of Kursk, incl 92 settlements.

“The Russian border area across from our Sumi region has been mostly cleared of the Russian military presence. A few months ago, many people around the world would have said that this was impossible, and would violate Russia’s strictest “red line,” added Zelensky, in a speech to Ukrainian ambassadors.

“Our proactive proactive defense it is the most effective countermeasure against Russian terrorism,” noted the Ukrainian president.

Zelensky even urged Ukraine’s allies to allow strikes deep inside Russia with long-range western weapons, saying that the lack of this permission was the main reason Ukraine was unable to stop the advance of Moscow’s troops on the front line in the east.

“The naïve, illusory concept of so-called “red lines” regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, it’s down these days somewhere near Sunja,” he quipped, referring to the Ukrainian-controlled Russian city of Kursk.

OR Ukraine struck and destroyed Sunday and a third bridge over the river Shem at Kursk, confirmed on Monday (19/8) Russia.

Russian investigator confirmed that Ukraine hit yesterday, Sundayand damaged a third bridge over the Shem River in Russia’s Kursk region, where Moscow’s forces have been fighting Kiev’s forces for nearly two weeks.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced on Friday that Ukraine used western missilespossibly American-made HIMARS, to destroy a bridge over the Shem River in the Glushkovo region.