Zelensky Acknowledges Operations Inside Russia for the First Time

In the first official word from the government in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky during his nightly address on Saturday acknowledged Ukraine’s push onto Russian soil, five days after Ukraine began its operation, which took not only Russia by surprise, but seemingly Ukraine’s allies also.

Zelensky only said that he and Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) Commander-in-Chief, had discussed “our actions to push the war out into the aggressor’s territory.”

This was the first official acknowledgement of what has been called an incursion by media covering the story, likely because the objectives are still unknown, even to Ukraine’s closest ally, the US.

Beginning his nightly address on Saturday, Zelensky said, “First of all, I would like to commend all our warriors for this week – the combat brigades, which are highly effective in defending our country and destroying the occupier.

“We leave no part of the front unattended. Every direction, every point of combat engagement,” he then mentioned the regions of fighting everywhere except inside Russia.

“Well done, guys!” Zelensky said, congratulating troops fighting within Ukraine over the week. He listed various AFU units engaged in combat operations on Ukrainian soil, both in occupied and non-occupied.

Then Zelensky alluded to the operations the AFU is conducting inside Russia’s western region of Kursk giving only references to taking the war to “the aggressor’s territory” to put “pressure on the aggressor,” while maintaining operational security (OPSEC) by not providing any details.

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“Today, Commander-in-Chief Syrsky has already reported several times – on the frontline situation and on our actions to push the war out into the aggressor’s territory,” Zelensky said, in Kyiv’s first official mention of cross border actions by uniformed regular AFU troops.

“I thank every unit of our Defense Forces that makes this happen. Ukraine is proving that it really knows how to restore justice and guarantees exactly the kind of pressure that is needed – pressure on the aggressor.”

He then talked about the ongoing role of sanctions and expressed thanks to “our partners – all those who made this week effective in terms of sanctions against Russia and individuals associated with it. This should be felt every week – that sanctions truly work, and anyone who tries to circumvent them will get a response from the world.”

“We are preparing new decisions that will impose restrictions on the Russian state. I am thankful for the new defense packages for Ukraine. This week we have an American [military aid] package,” which he said the AFU would “make the aid tangible on the frontline as soon as possible.”

In a possible reference to future cross-border operations, Zelensky said: “We look forward with great anticipation to decisions on long-range capabilities – from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France – we look forward to strong decisions that will bring a just peace closer.”

Zelensky concluded his remarks Saturday, saying:

“And one more thing. I have just held a preparatory meeting on a decision that will strengthen our Ukrainian spiritual independence. We must deprive Moscow of the last opportunities to limit the freedom of Ukrainians. And the decisions to achieve this must be one hundred percent effective – they must really work. We will ensure them.”