Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Commander-in-Chief: for the first time, he confirmed the operation in Kursk region and gave instructions to obtain long-range weapons. Video

On Monday, August 12, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers. At the meeting, he confirmed the operation in the Kursk region for the first time.

The Ukrainian leader announced this on Telegram. In addition, the president gave a task to receive long-range weapons.

"I listened to the report of the Chief of the Army Oleksandr Syrskyi on our defense actions at the front and the operation in the Kursk region. We are grateful to all the soldiers and commanders for their resilience and decisive actions. Among other things, we instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs, other government officials, and the Security Service of Ukraine to prepare a humanitarian plan for the area of the operation," the statement said.

In addition, the president heard a report from the economic bloc, First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.

"We are increasing the share of Ukrainian production in public procurement. The government is preparing long-term, predictable contracts for our enterprises for 5-10 years," he said.

The president also gave several instructions to the Coordination Headquarters, the DIU, the SSU, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The agencies should prepare a clear and transparent strategy for the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity. The President instructed the Ministry of Defense and diplomats to present a list of necessary actions on the part of Ukraine to obtain permission from our partners to use long-range weapons to protect our territory.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on August 12, the governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, officially recognized the loss of control over 28 settlements at a meeting with dictator Vladimir Putin. According to him, the depth of penetration of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is 12 km, the width is 40 km, and a total of 480 square kilometers has been seized.

Putin, for his part, recognized the invasion and said that the Russian army was trying to "knock out the enemy." He also demanded that the border be secured and said that the Bryansk region was next in line.

Earlier, the Russian Federation introduced a "counterterrorism operation regime" in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions, and more than 76,000 people were evacuated from the border areas of Kursk.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, commenting on the fighting in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, said it had "taken into account the relevant situation" and that Beijing's position on the war was "consistent and clear."

Meanwhile, the United States does not believe that the events in the Kursk region could be an escalation of the war. Ukraine is doing what it needs to do to succeed on the battlefield, Washington said.

Russian Ombudsman Moskalkova complained to the UN about alleged "human rights violations" in the Kursk region and demanded that Ukraine's actions be "condemned."

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