Zelenskyy says Ukraine creating 'buffer zone' in Russia to prevent attacks

The Ukraine military's stunning offensive into Russia's Kursk region will create a "buffer zone on the aggressor's territory" to discourage Russian attacks into Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were reinforcing their positions in Kursk and that "the foothold of our presence is getting stronger." Zelenskyy also lauded his invading fighters for capturing Russian troops, saying the effort "replenishes our exchange fund" and will hasten the release of Ukrainian troops and civilians held by the Russians.

"It is now our primary task ... to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine forces appeared determined to repel any Russian effort to retake the seized land, estimated at almost 400 square miles, it has held for almost two weeks. The commander of Ukraine’s air force says a second bridge in the region was badly damaged as Kyiv tries to weaken Russia’s combat operations. "Minus one more bridge," Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk wrote on Telegram.

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Developments:

? Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly downplayed the incursion, referring to it as a "situation" and accusing the U.S. and the West of planning it. U.S. officials have said they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's offensive.

? Two women were wounded as a result of Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia’s border Belgorod region, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

? The Russian foreign ministry has claimed Ukraine used Western rockets, likely U.S.-made HIMARS, in destroying a bridge over the Seym River and killing volunteers trying to evacuate civilians.

Russia to Kursk evacuees: Don't go home yet

Residents of Kursk's Korenevo district, who fled the fighting when Ukraine forces overran the region, cannot return to their homes, the district’s top officials said Sunday. Marina Degtyareva said the situation there remains "very difficult." People who persist in returning home pose problems for the Russian military and some attempts "lead to awful tragedies," Degtyareva said, adding in a social media post that residents will be notified when it is safe.

The incursion, which Russian authorities say has led to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, came as a shock to many people living in the Kursk region along the Ukraine border.

“No one expected that this kind of conflict was even possible in the Kursk region," Yan Furtsev, a member of the local opposition party, Yabloko, told Euronews. "That is why there is such confusion and panic because citizens are arriving (from front-line areas) and they’re scared, very scared."

Moscow denies covert talks with Kyiv on limiting attacks

Russia denied Sunday that Ukraine's incursion into its territory thwarted indirect negotiations to keep the warring parties from attacking each other's energy and power infrastructure, saying there were no talks to ruin.

The Washington Post reported Saturday the sides had agreed to negotiations this month in Doha mediated by Qatar, in what the newspaper described as essentially a partial cease-fire in a war that began with a Russian invasion in February 2022.

"No one broke anything off because there was nothing to break off," foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. "There have been no direct or indirect negotiations between Russia and the Kyiv regime on the safety of civilian critical infrastructure facilities."

Russian missiles target Kyiv

Russia carried out its third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month Sunday but preliminary data indicated most of the projectiles were shot down, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said.

Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, said on Telegram that the attacks were each six days apart. They appear to be Moscow's answer to the stunningly successful Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region.

No casualties were reported, but regional Gov. Ruslan Kravchenko said two private houses were destroyed and 16 others were damaged by falling debris in the latest assault.

Russia invaded Ukraine two-and-a-half years ago and now holds about almost 20% of Ukrainian territory in the east and south.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine war: Zelenskyy creating 'buffer zone' to prevent attacks