In the first official statement from the government in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged Ukraine’s advance onto Russian soil in his speech on Saturday, five days after Ukraine began its offensive that apparently took not only Russia but also Ukraine’s allies by surprise.
Zelensky said only that he and Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, had “discussed our measures to expand the war to the territory of the aggressor.”
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This was the first official admission of what the media called an incursion when covering the incident, probably because the targets are still unknown even to Ukraine’s closest ally, the United States.
At the beginning of his evening address on Saturday, Zelensky said: “First of all, I would like to express my praise for this week to all our warriors – the combat brigades who most effectively defended our country and destroyed the occupying forces.
“We leave no part of the front unattended. No direction, no combat zone,” he then mentioned the combat zones everywhere except in Russia.
“Well done, guys!” Zelensky said, congratulating the troops that fought in Ukraine over the past week. He listed various AFU units that took part in combat operations on Ukrainian soil, both in occupied and unoccupied territory.
Zelensky then alluded to the armed forces’ operations in the western Russian region of Kursk, noting only that the war should be carried out on “the territory of the aggressor” in order to “put pressure on the aggressor” while maintaining operational security (OPSEC), without giving any details.
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“Today, Commander-in-Chief Syrsky has already reported several times – on the situation at the front and on our measures to expand the war to the territory of the aggressor,” said Zelensky. This was the first time that Kyiv officially mentioned cross-border actions by uniformed regular forces of the armed forces.
“I thank every unit of our armed forces that makes this possible. Ukraine is proving that it really knows how to restore justice and guarantees exactly the pressure that is needed – pressure on the aggressor.”
He then spoke about the ongoing role of sanctions, thanking “our partners – all those who made this week effective in terms of sanctions against Russia and persons associated with Russia. This should be felt every week – that sanctions really work and anyone who tries to circumvent them will get a reaction from the world.”
“We are preparing new decisions that will impose restrictions on the Russian state. I am grateful for the new defense packages for Ukraine. This week we have an American (military aid) package,” and he said the AFU would “make the aid tangible at the front as soon as possible.”
In a possible reference to future cross-border operations, Zelensky said: “We look forward 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.”
Selensky concluded his remarks on Saturday with the words:
“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 restrict the freedom of Ukrainians. And the decisions to achieve this must be 100 percent effective – they must really work. We will make sure of that.”
