Ukraine Captures 1,000 Sq Km Of Russian Territory

Ukrainian forces have launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk region, capturing about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian land so far, Kyiv's top general says.

Kyiv's ambitious operation caught Moscow and many observers of the conflict off guard. I Photo: Володимир Зеленський Facebook

That figure is almost as much territory as Russia has seized in Ukraine this year, Jake Epstein and Ryan Pickrell reported for Business Insider.

In under a week, Ukrainian forces have captured about 1,000 square kilometers in their surprise offensive into Russia, Kyiv's top commander said on Monday. The territory that Ukraine claims to have seized in Russia in a matter of days — roughly 386 square miles — is almost as much as Moscow has captured in Ukraine this year.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior officials on the military incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which began last Tuesday.

Kyiv has been extremely tight-lipped about this particularly ambitious operation, which caught Moscow and many observers of the conflict off guard, but has started to disclose more information publicly.

"As of now, we control about 1,000 square kilometers of the territory of the Russian Federation. The troops are fulfilling their tasks," Syrskyi said in a video call with Ukrainian leadership.

"Fighting is ongoing actually along the entire front line," he said, adding that "the situation is under our control."