Ukraine war briefing: Putin admits situation ‘very difficult’ in Kursk as Kyiv forces mount new offensive

Moscow shows ‘indifference’ to civilian humanitarian corridor offer, says Zelenskyy; France delivers Mirage jets. What we know on day 1,080

Russia said it was battling a new Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, as Kyiv offered a humanitarian corridor for civilians in the Russian region it has invaded and partly occupied, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, admitted the situation there was “very difficult” as he met with regional governors. The Russian defence ministry said Ukraine deployed two mechanised battalions, tanks and armoured vehicles about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border to the south-east of the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha. There was no comment on the fresh offensive from officials in Kyiv, and Russian statements on the extent of any fighting could not be verified.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Thursday praised his troops for the Kursk offensive and issued several army units with state honours. “The occupier can and should be beaten on its territory. The Kursk operation clearly explains the meaning of the principle of ‘peace through strength’.”

Zelenskyy’s office accused Moscow of “indifference” to the fate of its own citizens. “We are ready to open a humanitarian corridor from Kursk region to the depths of Russia in response to an official request of the Russian Federation. Apparently, the Russians do not want such a humanitarian corridor, because we have not received a corresponding request from them.” The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed Russia was doing “everything” it could for Russian civilians in Kursk; however Moscow refused to comment publicly on the idea of a humanitarian corridor.

Ukraine said on Thursday it had received a first batch of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets as well as F-16 fighters from the Netherlands. The numbers are classified but the Mirages are thought to number around six, while overall the Netherlands has promised to deliver Ukraine a total of 24 F-16s, in addition to the jets it supplies to a training centre for Ukrainian pilots and crew in Romania. French officials said the Mirages, originally conceived for air-to-air dogfights, had been adapted to enable air-to-ground strikes.

Ukrainian forces struck an airfield in southern Russia that was being used to launch Shahed drones, Ukraine’s general staff said on Thursday. The night-time attack on the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield in Russia’s Krasnodar region started a fire, the general staff wrote on Facebook. Videos that were claimed to show the fire were posted online. It was not possible to independently verify the claims. The Russian defence ministry reported shooting down Ukrainian drones over Krasnodar – it frequently says drones were shot down when in fact there has been a successful attack by Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will lead Ukraine’s delegation at the Munich security conference next week, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Thursday. The US vice-president, JD Vance, and Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, are also expected to attend. Yermak said the Ukrainian delegation would present the country’s position on ending the war and their views on how “a long and lasting peace” can be achieved.
“It’s necessary that the leaders and the experts in politics who will be in Munich realise that this is momentum – that we are very near to really ending this war by a just and lasting peace, but [it’s] necessary to be together … Not to give Russia an opportunity to divide the world, to divide partners.”

During his election campaign, Trump promised to end the fighting within 24 hours of taking office – revising that after he was elected to within six months. However, it is unclear how a ceasefire deal would take shape with Russia and Ukraine remaining far apart on terms. Ukrainians would provide Kellogg with “full and real information” about the situation on the battlefield, ongoing mobilisation efforts, and the status of weapons and equipment delivery, Yermak said. “I think it’s important that we go through these consultations and negotiations before the [Trump] administration has any plans,” he said. “Because our position is that it’s impossible to have, and will be a big mistake to have, any plans without participation by Ukraine in preparing this plan.”

Slovakia’s gas transit company SPP said on Thursday it had started getting gas from Russia via Turkey after Ukraine halted Russian flows via its territory. “They are conducted by the southern route through TurkStream and via Hungary to Slovakia,” said SPP spokesman Ondrej Sebesta. TurkStream runs for 930km (580 miles) under the Black Sea from the Russian resort city of Anapa to Kiyikoy in north-western Turkey, then connects to overground pipelines that run up through the Balkans to Europe, supplying EU member Hungary, Slovakia’s southern neighbour.

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