Ukrainian troops have restored and are holding defensive positions inside Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions, according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
In a post on social media following a meeting with his staff, Syrsky said he reported to President Volodymyr Zelensky on the situation on the front line, particularly in relation to critical areas such as Pokrovsk, Lyman, Novopavlivka, and the North-Slobozhanskyi direction.
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“In the past 24 hours alone, there were 188 combat clashes. Enemy losses amounted to over 1,000 troops,” he said.
Syrsky highlighted Ukraine’s “active defense” tactics to prevent Russian forces from penetrating deeper into Ukrainian territory, particularly in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions, and reaching the Dnipropetrovsk region’s borders.
He also emphasized Ukraine’s success in restoring and holding territory on Russian soil.
“I emphasized the restoration of positions and our continued presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions of the Russian Federation. We are containing a large enemy force near the border. The enemy will have no peace there,” Syrsky wrote.
The meeting also covered the expansion of Ukraine’s drone capabilities for both defense and deep strikes inside Russia. Syrsky disclosed that Ukraine is actively forming new drone interceptor crews and training operators.
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“We need as many of these high-tech UAVs as possible,” he added.
Russia claimed on Monday that its troops had captured Dachne, a village near the border of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions – a claim it previously made on July 2.
At that time, Russian media released videos of troops raising a flag in the village, which Ukraine dismissed as a propaganda stunt. Ukrainian forces said small Russian units briefly entered Dachne to take photos but were quickly pushed out.
Moscow has been pushing toward Dnipropetrovsk for months, with the region increasingly targeted by drone and missile attacks.
In late June, Syrsky countered earlier Russian claims that Kyiv’s presence in Russia’s Kursk region had been eliminated. He said Ukrainian forces still control about 90 square kilometers (35 square miles) in the Glushkovsky district, describing it as a preemptive operation to disrupt a potential Russian offensive.
According to Syrsky, Kyiv’s actions in April 2025 prevented Moscow from deploying roughly 60,000 troops – including airborne and marine units – to reinforce other front-line sectors such as Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine first launched its surprise incursion into the Kursk region in August 2024, temporarily seizing over 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles) of territory. Russian forces have since retaken most of that ground, aided by reinforcements from North Korea.
Despite recent setbacks, Syrsky said Ukraine’s campaign succeeded in deterring a larger Russian offensive against the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
In May, Zelensky claimed that Russia had lost more than 63,000 soldiers during fighting in the Kursk region.
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