The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in the Kursk region makes calls for a “ceasefire” impossible, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said during a telethon, Radiosvoboda reports.
In his opinion, “now talks about an immediate ceasefire look different. After all, this will mean that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will then remain in the Kursk region”.
This means that everyone should be frozen where they are. That is, Russia must freeze with its occupation forces on the territory of Ukraine… Because then the Kursk region will be under the control of Ukraine. Therefore, we cannot talk about an immediate ceasefire now, – Podolyak said.
Ukrainian troops continue to advance deeper into the Kursk region, sometimes by 1 to 2 kilometers since the beginning of the day. The Ukrainian Defense Forces are creating a “security zone” on the territory of the Russian Federation adjacent to the territory of Ukraine, says Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk.
She noted that there are Russian civilians in this zone who are protected by international humanitarian law, which Ukraine fully complies with. And Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets added that the Ukrainian military strictly adheres to the obligations under the Geneva and Hague Conventions of 1907.
President Zelenskyy himself noted that the authorities are considering the possibility of establishing military commandant’s offices in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, if necessary.
