ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Thursday that his country’s military captured another settlement in Russia’s border region of Kursk, where Kyiv launched an incursion over two weeks ago.

“Another settlement in the Kursk region is now under Ukrainian control, and we have replenished the exchange fund,” Zelenskyy said on X, following a meeting with Governor Volodymyr Artyukh and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi in the northeastern Sumy region.

Zelenskyy said Syrskyi briefed him on the operational situation across all fronts in Ukraine, particularly with a focus on the toughest parts of the front line.

He said he specifically talked about steps taken to strengthen Ukraine’s defensive capabilities on the Toretsk and Pokrovsk fronts in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russian authorities have not yet commented on Zelenskyy's claim, and independent verification is difficult due to the ongoing war.

Syrskyi on Tuesday claimed his forces advanced 35 kilometers (nearly 22 miles) into Russian territory, capturing 1,263 square kilometers (487 square miles) and 93 settlements in Kursk since the start of the incursion.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk began on the night of Aug. 5-6, with its forces entering the border region near the town of Sudzha, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of carrying out a “large-scale provocation” and “indiscriminate shooting,” defining the incursion as a “terrorist attack.”

Days later, Zelenskyy admitted it was an “operation” by Ukraine’s troops, specifying that the goal is to create a “buffer zone” against Russian attacks.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told state news agency Ukrinform on Tuesday that about 45,000 people need to be evacuated from the region, of which about 21,000 people, including 5,000 children, were evacuated thus far.