Moscow, Sep 2 (EFE).– President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the Russian Army’s advance in Donbas is now measured in square kilometers per day, an offensive that Ukraine has been unable to halt, even with its border incursion in the Kursk region.
“We have not seen such a pace of advance for a long time. Russian forces are no longer conquering 200-300 meters of territory, but square kilometers each day,” Putin said during a meeting with students in the Buddhist republic of Tuva, which borders Mongolia.
He said Kyiv’s primary objective in launching its offensive in Kursk on August 6 was to “stop” the Russian advance in Donbas. “They have not succeeded,” he stressed.
Putin accused the Ukrainian authorities of provoking the incident in Kursk and attempting a similar action in neighboring Belgorod because they do not want to end the war, as doing so would necessitate calling for presidential elections.
“The current authorities are not legitimate according to their own legislation. They should have held presidential elections, but they refused, citing the state of war. This contradicts the constitution of Ukraine,” he said.
If military actions were suspended, he argued, “the Ukrainian authorities would have to lift the state of war and immediately hold presidential elections. And the authorities are clearly not prepared for this.”
“Their chances of being re-elected are slim. And that is why they are not interested in ceasing hostilities,” he added.
He said he had always wanted to resolve all “controversial issues by peaceful means.”
“But, of course, we must deal with the bandits who have entered the territory of the Russian Federation, particularly in the Kursk region, and counter their attempts to destabilize the situation in the border area as a whole.”
In recent weeks, Russian troops have captured several towns in the Donetsk region, paving the way for their advance toward the Ukrainian strongholds of Pokrovsk and Toretsk.
Meanwhile, Moscow has been unable to expel the thousands of Ukrainian soldiers deployed in Kursk, highlighting Russia’s struggle to secure its border with Ukraine. EFE
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