Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has, for the first time, publicly confirmed that Ukrainian troops are operating within Russia’s Belgorod region. In a speech delivered on Monday, he also referenced Ukraine’s continued presence in parts of the Kursk region, despite most of that territory having been reclaimed by Moscow following a major Ukrainian offensive last year.
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Belgorod, situated along Russia’s western border, has frequently been the target of Ukrainian airstrikes in recent months. The region lies adjacent to Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion and have since struggled to maintain control amid sustained Russian counteroffensives.
In his nightly address, Zelensky reported that Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrsky had updated him on “our presence in Kursk region and our presence in Belgorod region”. He stressed the importance of Ukraine taking the fight beyond its own borders, stating: “We continue to conduct active operations in the border areas on the enemy’s territory, and this is absolutely right – the war must return to where it came from.”
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This marks the first time in over three years of conflict that President Zelensky has directly acknowledged Ukrainian ground activity in Belgorod, a region home to approximately 1.5 million people. The Russian military had previously admitted to repelling land incursions in Belgorod back in March, during a period when Ukrainian troops were simultaneously under significant pressure in neighbouring Kursk.
