- Belgorod’s governor called the situation ‘extremely difficult’ for residents in the border region
- US President Joe Biden said Kyiv’s military success in Kursk was a ‘real dilemma’ for Russian President Vladimir Putin
- According to German media reports, an arrest warrant has been issued for a Ukrainian national over the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv’s troops have advanced 1-2 kilometers (0.6-1.2 miles) in various directions on Wednesday amid an ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk region that has entered its second week. The president said more than 100 Russian servicemen had been taken captive.
Also on Wednesday, Ukraine’s military said on the messaging app Telegram that its forces had shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber in the region.
“Work to eliminate the occupiers, their equipment and weapons continues on an ongoing basis,” it said.
The claims cannot yet be independently verified. They come as Russia’s Belgorod border region, which adjoins the Kursk region, declared an emergency under heavy shelling by Ukrainian forces.
Finnish PM defends Kyiv’s right to Kursk incursion
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has given his support to Ukraine’s military operation in Russia’s Kursk region as a self-defense measure against Moscow’s invasion of its territory.
“Ukraine has the right to self-defense, and it’s clear that they can do their operation in Kursk,” Orpo told a joint press conference in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, with his Estonian counterpart, Kristen Michal.
Finland has emerged as a major supporter of Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, and it signed a 10-year agreement on security cooperation and long-term support with Kyiv in April.
The Nordic country has also been a member of NATO for just over a year, having applied to join the Western military alliance largely in reponse to the invasion by Russia, with which it shares a 1,340 kilometer (830 mile) border.
Michal also voiced her support for Kyiv’s actions and said Estonia was supporting Ukraine in every way that it could.
“We fully support Ukraine in different operations to liberate their country and to achieve the victory. And yes, to be honest, on my personal level, I wish them luck.”
