Oleksandr Syrskii admits that the situation at Pokrovsk is “very problematic” but insists that the Kursk offensive is having the intended effect.
Oleksandr Syrskii, Ukraine's top military commander, defended Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region, saying the offensive was working because Russia had not advanced in a key area of Ukraine's eastern front for six days.
kyiv launched its surprise offensive on Kursk on August 6 and says it has captured about 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles) of territory and dozens of settlements.
Officials said the offensive was part of a strategy to curb Russia's advance toward the strategically important town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.
Speaking to US television channel CNN, Syrskii said Ukraine was doing “everything possible not to lose Pokrovsk”.
“Over the past six days, the enemy has not advanced a single meter in the direction of Pokrovsk,” he said. “In other words, our strategy is working.”
It was not possible to verify the situation on the front line or the claims of each side.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kursk offensive had failed to halt Russia's advance and that the move had only served to weaken Ukraine's defenses in Donetsk.
Analysts say Russia has moved few soldiers from eastern Ukraine to Kursk, where their forces are supported by conscripts and ethnic Chechen fighters.
Syrian forces have continued to claim advances towards Pokrovsk, saying they have captured several small villages east of Pokrovsk as well as nearby Myrnohrad. Tens of thousands of residents are being evacuated.
In his interview, recorded at an undisclosed location near the front line, Syrskii acknowledged that the situation at Pokrovsk was “the most problematic for us” but insisted that the Kursk offensive was having the desired effect.
“We have taken away their ability to maneuver and deploy reinforcements,” he said.
“We know that the number of artillery bombardments as well as the intensity of the offensive have decreased.
“I believe that this strategy was chosen correctly and will bring us the desired result.”
Amid continued fighting and a new wave of Russian bombings that have killed dozens of people over the past week, Ukraine has stepped up pressure on the United States and its other allies to provide it with more air defenses and allow it to use Western-supplied long-range weapons against military targets inside Russia.
Those issues are likely to be discussed later on Friday when members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), a group that provides military aid to Ukraine, meet in Germany.
Ahead of the meeting, the UK announced it would supply 650 Light Multi-Function Missile (LMM) systems to boost Ukraine's air defence capabilities, with the first deliveries due by the end of the year.
“In recent days we have seen the tragic cost of Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on Poltava and Lviv,” UK Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement. “These new UK-made missiles will help Ukraine defend its people, infrastructure and territory from Putin’s brutal attacks.”
