CHISINAU, August 21. /TASS/. Ukraine was preparing an attack on the Kursk Region "secretly and without any feedback," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

"First of all, Ukraine was preparing its military operation in the Kursk Region secretly and without any feedback," Scholz stated at a joint press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Chisinau.

He noted that Germany is closely monitoring the events. Scholz assured that his country will continue to support Ukraine and will remain its major proponent in Europe. He added that only the United States, as the world's biggest power, is able to do more. "In this regard, it is something that everyone in Ukraine can rely on," the chancellor emphasized. He recalled that the draft German federal budget for 2025 includes €4 billion for military support for Kiev.

Earlier, the Bild newspaper reported that the Ukrainian armed forces were using German Marder infantry fighting vehicles and a Wisent demolition tank in the Kursk Region.

On August 6, Russia’s borderline Kursk Region came under a massive attack from Ukraine. A state of federal emergency is in effect in the region. According to the Emergencies Ministry, over 122,000 people have been evacuated from nine border municipalities in the Kursk Region, with temporary accommodation centers set up in 28 Russian regions. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev has lost more than 4,400 troops and 65 tanks since fighting began in the Kursk area. The operation to destroy Ukrainian troops continues.