Putin's Kursk claims challenged: Ukraine calls out disinformation
- Putin's statement at the BRICS summit about encircling Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region does not reflect reality, stated the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. On Thursday, Vladimir Putin claimed that the Russians had encircled 2,000 Ukrainians. - The elimination of this group is ongoing, he added.
The dictator declared on Thursday at the conference summarising the BRICS summit that his armed forces are advancing on all sections of the Northern Military District's front line. According to him, around 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are surrounded in the Kursk region.
Russians "have started eliminating" the group
Putin stated that "the Russian army has started eliminating" this group.
- Irreversible and sanitary losses of Kyiv in the Kursk direction amounted to 26,000 - said Putin. The dictator also spoke for the first time about North Korean soldiers in Russia.
Irreversible losses include killed and missing soldiers, whereas sanitary losses refer to those wounded and sick who can return to service.
Syrskyi denies: "Blatant disinformation"
"The statement of the head of the aggressor state at the BRICS summit regarding the encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region is false," Syrskyi wrote on his Telegram channel.
"This is blatant disinformation, which does not reflect the real situation," he added.
According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian units continue active operations towards Kursk, "depleting the enemy's combat potential for the third consecutive month."
"Despite the enemy's frantic pressure in this direction, the occupiers are suffering significant losses in personnel and military equipment," Syrskyi claims.
Russian losses near Kursk
The Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also stated that the Russians have lost 17,819 people in this front section, of which "irreversibly" 6,662 people. Syrskyi did not specify whether this number refers to those killed. About 711 Russians were taken prisoner.
Putin's army is said to have also lost 45 tanks, 256 armoured vehicles, and 99 artillery systems.
It should be emphasised that both the Russian and Ukrainian sides are very sparing with information on ongoing fighting in the Kursk region. Information provided by both sides of the conflict is difficult to verify.
