Ukrainian soldiers withdraw from Kursk, Mr. Zelensky declares 'mission accomplished'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's military operation in Kursk province was a success, helping to pull Russian troops away from the Pokrovsk direction in Donetsk.

Russian soldiers on March 14 in an area in Kursk that they just regained control of

The New York Post on March 15 quoted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying that his military operation in Kursk province was a success, in the context that Ukrainian soldiers were leaving Russian territory that they took control of since August 2024.

Ukraine shocked the region with a daring offensive in the summer that saw it seize control of an area of ​​about 1,250 ^square kilometers. One of the goals of the Kursk offensive was to keep Russian forces out of the strategically important southeastern city of Pokrovsk, a goal Mr. Zelensky said he had achieved.

Elite UAV unit helps Russia cut off Ukraine's supply lines at Kursk

"I believe that the mission has been accomplished. I think that the situation in the Pokrovsk direction is now stable and it will be difficult [for Russia] to find an opportunity to capture Pokrovsk again," according to the leader.

He said the Kursk offensive had achieved its main goal of drawing Russian troops away from the Pokrovsk offensive in the east, as well as Kharkiv and Sumy in northeastern Ukraine.

"First, the pressure decreased in the Kharkiv direction. The Russian army transferred a large number of ground troops from there to Kursk. Then Russia began to withdraw its troops from the east, but did not abandon its main target - Pokrovsk," he said. President Zelnesky declared that the situation in the Pokrovsk region and Kharkiv sectors "is now stabilized".

Ukraine has been attacking the Kursk region since August 2024, and Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly stated that they will use the controlled territory there as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

Mr. Zelensky's declaration of success came as most of Ukraine's forces completed their withdrawal from Kursk, starting on March 5.

President Zelensky has not confirmed whether all Ukrainian troops have left the area, but at least some remained as of the morning of March 14, according to expert John Hardie of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (USA).

“Some Ukrainian soldiers appear to still be in the western suburbs of Sudzha and the Guyevo area,” Mr Hardie said.

President Putin arrives in Kursk region amid campaign to drive out Ukrainian troops

But the total, he said, was still far lower than the estimate of “thousands” of soldiers that US President Donald Trump mentioned on the social network Truth Social on March 14. The White House boss added that he “strongly recommended” President Putin spare the lives of those besieged soldiers.

Responding to Mr Trump's offer, Mr Putin said Russia would spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk if they surrendered. Deputy head of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also said that the soldiers would be "mercilessly" destroyed if they did not surrender.

Many US and Ukrainian officials and experts on March 14 denied information that Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded in Kursk, because the withdrawal had been going on for more than a week.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/binh-si-ukraine-rut-khoi-kursk-ong-zelensky-tuyen-bo-su-menh-hoan-tat-185250315092812611.htm