BRUSSELS, September 17. /TASS/. Ukraine’s former army commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, was against Ukraine’s operation in Russia’s borderline Kursk Region, the Politico news outlet said, citing unnamed high-ranking Ukrainian officers.

According to these sources, Zaluzhny strongly objected to invading Russia’s territory due to the lack of a clear plan of action after the border was breached. He never received a clear answer from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky about the Ukrainian army’s further actions and thought it was a reckless step, they said.

Russia’s tactical successes and ongoing offensive in Donbass cause big losses in the Ukrainian army, Politico said, citing the Ukrainian military. This has forced Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky to begin redeploying some of army units from the Kursk Region to the special military operation zone.

According to the Russian defense ministry’s bulletin of September 16, Russia forces continue an offensive of the enemy defenses, having wiped out Ukrainian troops and combat vehicles near the settlements of Petrovka, Shcherbinovka, Dzerzhinsk, Nelepovka, Dmitrov, Krasnoarmeisk, Grodovka, Gnatovka, Selidovo, Lesovka, and Ukrainsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The DPR’s law enforcement reported on September 17 that Russian forces had destroyed three bridges around Krasnoarmeisk, which had been used by Ukrainian troops as strategic routes making the city an important logistics center of the Ukrainian army.

Russia’s borderline Kursk Region came under a massive attack from Ukraine on August 6. A federal state of emergency is in effect in the region. People are being evacuated from border areas. According to the Russian emergencies ministry, temporary accommodation centers in 30 Russian regions are giving shelter to more than 10,000 Kursk Region residents.

According to the Russian defense ministry, Kiev’s overall losses in the Kursk Region stand at over 14,200 troops and 119 tanks. Russian forces continue operations to eliminate Ukrainian troops.