Ukraine on Kursk Incursion: We Don’t Need Russian Land

In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, June 21, 2024, Russian soldiers fire an anti-aircraft gun at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, June 21, 2024, Russian soldiers fire an anti-aircraft gun at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
TT

Ukraine on Kursk Incursion: We Don’t Need Russian Land

In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, June 21, 2024, Russian soldiers fire an anti-aircraft gun at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, June 21, 2024, Russian soldiers fire an anti-aircraft gun at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Ukraine said on Tuesday its biggest cross-border assault of the war to date would prevent Russia sending more troops to fight in its eastern Donetsk region and disrupt military logistics, and that Kyiv had no interest in occupying Russian territory.

Ukraine blindsided Moscow by pouring thousands of troops into the western Russian region of Kursk last week in a surprise operation that Kyiv says has seen its forces take 1,000 sq km of land, its largest gains since 2022.

"Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not need other people's property. Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people," Ukraine's foreign ministry's spokesman said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukrainian forces have taken control of areas in the Kursk region that Russia has used to launch more than two thousand cross-border strikes on Ukraine since June.

"It should be emphasized that the operation ... helps the front line because it does not allow Russia to transfer additional units to (Ukraine's) Donetsk region, complicates its military logistics," foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said.

Russian forces have been trying to advance for months on multiple fronts in the Donetsk region, taking advantage of their greater troop numbers to steadily inch forward towards cities like the Kyiv-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Reuters could not independently verify the situation on the battlefield.

For now, there is no sign of a letup for Ukraine in the east where Kyiv's military said earlier it had recorded the largest number of battles with Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front in a single day since before the Kursk incursion.

Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy told Reuters they had noted a movement of Russian troops from Ukraine's south to other areas, likely including Kursk, this week.

But he said the number of attacks had not reduced as a result and that it was too early to draw conclusions.

RESTRICTING MOVEMENT

Kyiv's military on Tuesday restricted the movement of civilians within a 20 km (12 mile) zone of the northeastern border area.

It cited an "increase in the intensity of hostilities" and the activation of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, adding the measure was temporary and that residents could still access their homes by showing proof of registration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to hit back at Ukraine with a "worthy response" and accused Kyiv's "Western masters" of giving Ukrainian forces help.

Russia's acting regional governor in Kursk said on Monday that Ukraine's forces had taken control of 28 settlements in an incursion that was about 12 km deep and 40 km wide.

Though less than half Ukraine's estimate of its gains, the Russian assessment was a striking public admission of a major setback more than 29 months since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbor.



North Korea’s Kim Vows to Make His Nuclear Force Ready for Combat with US 

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering his speech on the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding in Pyongyang, North Korea, 09 September 2024 (issued 10 September 2024). (EPA/KCNA)
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering his speech on the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding in Pyongyang, North Korea, 09 September 2024 (issued 10 September 2024). (EPA/KCNA)
TT

North Korea’s Kim Vows to Make His Nuclear Force Ready for Combat with US 

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering his speech on the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding in Pyongyang, North Korea, 09 September 2024 (issued 10 September 2024). (EPA/KCNA)
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering his speech on the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding in Pyongyang, North Korea, 09 September 2024 (issued 10 September 2024). (EPA/KCNA)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to redouble efforts to make his nuclear force fully ready for combat with the United States and its allies, state media reported Tuesday, after the country disclosed a new platform likely designed to fire more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the mainland US.

Kim has repeatedly made similar pledges, but his latest threat comes as outside experts believe Kim will perform provocative weapons tests ahead of the US presidential election in November. In recent days, North Korea has also resumed launches of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea.

In a speech marking the 76th founding anniversary for his government on Monday, Kim said North Korea faces "a grave threat" because of what he called "the reckless expansion" of a US-led regional military bloc that is now developing into a nuclear-based one.

Kim said such a development is pushing North Korea to boost its military capability, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

He said North Korea will "redouble its measures and efforts to make all the armed forces of the state including the nuclear force fully ready for combat," KCNA reported.

North Korea has been protesting the July signing of a new US-South Korean defense guideline meant to integrate US nuclear weapons and South Korean conventional weapons to cope with growing North Korean nuclear threats. North Korea said the guideline revealed its adversaries’ plots to invade the country. US and South Korean officials have repeatedly said they don't intend to attack the country.

Since 2022, North Korea has significantly accelerated its weapons testing activities in a bid to perfect its capabilities to launch strikes on the US and South Korea. The US and South Korea have responded by expanding military drills that North Korea calls invasion rehearsals.

Many analysts believe North Korea has some last remaining technological barriers to overcome to acquire long-range nuclear missiles that can reach the US mainland, though it likely already possesses missiles that can hit key targets in South Korea and Japan.

South Korean officials and experts say North Korea could conduct nuclear tests or ICBM test-launches before the US election to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the US. Observers say North Korea likely thinks a greater nuclear capability would help it win US concessions like sanctions relief.

North Korea as of Tuesday morning did not appear to have staged any major military demonstration to mark this year’s anniversary. But the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Sunday published a photo of Kim inspecting what appeared to be a 12-axle missile launch vehicle, which would be the largest the country has shown so far, during a visit to a munitions plant.

This sparked speculation that the North could be developing a new ICBM that is bigger than its current Hwasong-17 ICBM, which is launched on an 11-axle vehicle.

When asked about the photo on Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder refused to provide a specific assessment of North Korea’s missile capabilities and reiterated that Washington was working closely with Seoul, Tokyo and other partners to preserve regional security and deter potential attacks.

"It’s not unusual for North Korea to use media reports and imagery to try to telegraph, you know, to the world," he said.

North Korea flew hundreds of huge balloons carrying rubbish toward South Korea for five straight days through Sunday, extending a Cold War-style psychological warfare campaign that has further stoked animosities on the Korean Peninsula. The balloons largely contained waste papers and vinyl, and there has been no reports of major damage.

North Korea began its balloon campaign in late May, calling it a response to South Korean civilians flying propaganda leaflets across the border via their own balloons. South Korea later restarted its anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the rivals' tense land border.

Observers say North Korea is extremely sensitive to South Korean leafleting activities and loudspeaker broadcasts as they could hamper its efforts to ban foreign news to its 26 million people.