As Kiev makes gains in Kursk, Russia strikes back in Donetsk: POLITICIAN

“We are currently working with the military on a possible humanitarian corridor route for civilians from Kursk to Sumy” in Ukraine, Vereshchuk wrote.

But while the surprise successes of Operation Kursk have boosted morale in Kiev, Russian forces are striking back, capturing more territory around Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Since Ukraine launched the Kursk offensive, “I would say things have gotten worse on our side of the front,” said Ivan Sekach, a spokesman for Ukraine's 110th Mechanized Brigade, which is currently deployed in the Pokrovsk district in the Donetsk region. “We've been getting even less ammunition than before and the Russians are pushing,” he told POLITICO.

Over the past 24 hours, Russia occupied the villages of Zhelanne and Orlivka and advanced on New York, Krasnohorivka, Mykolaivka and Zhuravka in Donetsk, according to a report. update posted by DeepState, a war mapping project close to the Ukrainian defense ministry.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not confirm or deny the report, just saying that heavy fighting was taking place in these areas and that Kiev was concentrating its efforts on the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Russia also continued its air assault against Ukraine, launching three missiles and 29 drones from Kursk, as well as two other regions. Zelenskyy has said another key goal of the incursion into Russian territory is to create a buffer zone and prevent Moscow's forces from launching cross-border airstrikes.

The Air Force of Ukraine informed shoot down all 29 kamikaze drones. One of the ballistic missiles hit the port of Odesa and injured three people, the governor of the city, Oleh Kiper. he said in a statement.