President: Operation in Kursk region is defensive, we do not need foreign lands

President Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized that a defensive operation is ongoing in the Kursk region and that it is not an occupation.

He said this at a press conference on Tuesday, August 26, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“This is not an occupation in the Kursk region. We are engaged in a defense operation, protection. We do not allow the creation of buffer zones on our territory. We are responding with all our defensive capabilities and steps on Russia’s territory to prevent the occupation of our land,” Zelensky emphasized.

According to him, Russia has occupied about 27% of Ukrainian territory.

“We are doing everything to prevent them from occupying more. These are our steps. You see, we are not annexing anything to our state, we are not changing legislation, the Constitution, etc. We don't need other people's lands and citizens,” Zelensky emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, the offensive operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in Russia’s Kursk region was launched on August 6, 2024. On August 15, it was announced that a military commandant's office had been established in Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Kursk region and that Major General Eduard Moskaliov had been appointed as its head.

Zelensky had previously said that the operation in the Kursk region was helping to destroy the Russian army's logistics and deplete their reserves.