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)
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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.



Iran Says Swiss National Who Died in Prison Had Photographed Military Sites 

An Iranian woman walks past a mural of Iran's national flag in Tehran, Iran, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks past a mural of Iran's national flag in Tehran, Iran, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
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Iran Says Swiss National Who Died in Prison Had Photographed Military Sites 

An Iranian woman walks past a mural of Iran's national flag in Tehran, Iran, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks past a mural of Iran's national flag in Tehran, Iran, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

A Swiss national who Iranian authorities said took his own life while in an Iranian jail after being arrested on suspicion of espionage had taken pictures of military sites, Iran's judiciary spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Switzerland had demanded detailed information on the reasons for the arrest of the 64-year-old man, who had been travelling in Iran as a tourist, and a full investigation into the circumstances of his death earlier this month.

"The person had entered the country from Dogharoun (bordering Afghanistan) in October as a tourist in a car fitted with various technical equipment meant for different purposes," the judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said.

The spokesperson said the detainee had hanged himself with a piece of cloth after turning off his cell's light and placing himself out of the view of security cameras.

"After passing through several provinces, he entered Semnan province and was arrested while being in a military-restricted zone," Jahangir said. "He was arrested on charges of taking pictures of the military zone and collaborating with hostile states."

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have in recent years arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.

Rights groups accuse Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies this.