Russia has diverted some 30,000 troops from the front lines in eastern Ukraine to the Kursk region, the top Ukrainian commander said Tuesday.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said at a Ukrainian forum that the troops were moved from the front but did not clarify from which directions of eastern Ukraine.
He added the number of Russian troops being redeployed “is growing,” and the Kursk offensive is putting pressure on Moscow.
Ukraine has now claimed close to 500 square miles of Russian territory in Kursk, captured 100 settlements and taken 594 Russian prisoners, Syrskyi said.
The U.S. has also said there is evidence of Russian diverting troops from the front lines but has not provided any details on the redeployments.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday the U.S. was in close communication with Kyiv on how Kursk fits into the “broader effort” to defend Ukraine.
“That’s a question that only the Ukrainians can answer,” he said. “We’ll continue to work with them to better understand their security assistance requirements and needs towards the broader strategic end state.”
One of the key objectives of Ukraine’s Aug. 6 incursion into Kursk was to divert troops from the front lines to ease up pressure there as Ukrainian forces defend against a Russian push in the eastern Donetsk region.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed not to halt the offensive in Donetsk or to distract from the Kremlin’s objectives there, and Russian forces are continuing to push ahead on the front lines.
The Donetsk towns of Pokrovsk and Toretsk remain under intense pressure, and Russian troops closing in have forced evacuations. Seizing those cities will cement Russia’s foothold in the eastern Donbas, made up of the Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk regions, and advance toward the twin cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Syrskyi said Tuesday that Pokrovsk “is rather complex” with more than 50 skirmishes every 24 hours in the area.
“But the price they are paying is extremely high, our defense forces do everything to stop the advancement,” he said. “We are in full control of it and commanders are doing everything to stabilize the situation.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also said another objective of the Kursk offensive is to create a buffer zone in Russia’s border region to protect Ukraine from attacks.
Zelensky said at the Tuesday forum that the “operation in the Kursk region is one of the points of Ukraine’s plan for victory in the war” and he would present a plan for victory to President Biden in a September meeting.
“The success of this plan depends on him. Whether they will give us what is in this plan or not,” Zelensky said, possibly referring to his call for the U.S. to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons to hit deep into Russia.