LONDON, August 30. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is being widely criticized for military failures in the eastern direction against the background of the Ukrainian army’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region, the Financial Times reported, citing the military and experts.

The newspaper noted that Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) "were weakened by the redeployment of thousands of battle-hardened Ukrainian troops to the Kursk operation," while Russian units were successfully advancing near Krasnoarmeysk (called Pokrovsk in Ukraine), forcing Ukrainian forces to retreat.

According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian military analysts branded the situation near Krasnoarmeysk as "chaos" and the Ukrainian army’s "complete defensive failure," pinning the blame on the military leadership. The fact that the Ukrainian army lacks experienced soldiers, shells and fortifications has triggered additional problems for the Kiev regime in the eastern direction. The newspaper concluded that, as soon as Ukrainian troops surrender Krasnoarmeysk, Russian positions will become much stronger with Kiev’s defenses completely weakened.

A massive attack on the Kursk Region by the Ukrainian army was launched on August 6. A federal emergency situation regime has been declared in the region, as well as multiple air raid alerts.

Residents from borderline districts are being evacuated to safety. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, over 11,500 evacuees, including more than 3,500 children, have been housed at 197 temporary accommodation centers in 28 Russian regions.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, since the onset of military actions in the Kursk area, the Kiev regime has lost up to 7,450 troops and 74 tanks. The operation on clearing out Ukrainian armed formations continues.