UPDATES WITH FURTHER REMARKS FROM RUSSIAN PRESIDENT; REVISES DECK; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday claimed that Ukraine seeks to improve its position in future negotiations with its incursion in the border region of Kursk since last week.
“It appears that the enemy, with the support from their Western backers, is executing their directives, and the West is using Ukrainians as proxies in this conflict. It seems the opponent is aiming to strengthen their negotiating position for the future,” Putin said during an operational meeting with government officials in the capital Moscow.
“However, what kind of negotiations can we have with those who indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities? What is there to discuss with such parties?” he questioned.
Putin said that Kyiv’s incursion also aims to stop Moscow’s advance in eastern Ukraine, adding that the main task of the Russian forces is to drive out Ukrainian troops from its territory.
According to him, Russia’s offensive in the eastern part of Ukraine has increased by “one and a half times,” and the country’s military is advancing along the entire front line.
He went on to claim that another goal of Ukraine’s incursion is to “create discord and division” within Russian society, as well as to “undermine the unity and cohesion of the Russian people.”
“The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasing dramatically, including among the most combat-ready units and divisions that the enemy is transferring to our border,” he said, adding that there has been a notable increase in the number of people signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.
Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Putin's remarks.
Last Tuesday, Russia said that Ukrainian troops, including tanks and armored combat vehicles, attacked its military positions near two border settlements in the Kursk region.
Since then, Moscow has reported that it has been repelling incursions into the border region by Ukrainian forces, in addition to countering airstrikes launched at Kursk and surrounding regions.
On Aug. 7, Putin accused Kyiv of carrying out “large-scale provocation” and “indiscriminate shooting.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later commented on the allegations, saying: “Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done.”
Russia and Ukraine have also traded accusations after reports emerged late Sunday of a fire breaking out at a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of causing the fire by shelling the city of Enerhodar hosting the power plant, while Kyiv blamed Russia for starting the fire and using the plant to “blackmail Ukraine, all of Europe, and the world.”
Russian and Ukrainian officials have later said that the fire at the cooling tower has been extinguished, and that radiation levels near the plant are normal.