Putin sets task to drive Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk Oblast by 20 January – Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has set a goal of pushing Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk Oblast by 20 January 2025, the date of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Source: Zelenskyy during the 3rd International Grain from Ukraine Conference on Saturday, reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote from Zelenskyy: "For Putin, the most important thing is to push us out of Russia’s Kursk Oblast. All these stories, all these indicators, strikes with new missiles, all this is not just for fun. He has set this task. I am sure he wants to push us out by 20 January. It is very important for him to demonstrate that he is in control of the situation. He is not in control of the situation."

Details: Zelenskyy said that "the Kursk operation is not a toy," and it showed that Putin is not able to defend Russia fully. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy said that the most difficult situation on the frontline is in Donetsk Oblast and Ukraine’s east in general.

"He [Putin – ed.] wants to show that he has fulfilled, as he said, the task of occupying the entire Donbas, and he needs to push us out of the Kursk front. He has these two tasks," Zelenskyy said.

He added that Russia has never had such huge losses as on the Kursk front.

"The fact that he [Putin] is most likely passing on personal requests to the command that ‘the fate of the Armed Forces rests on the Kursk operation’," Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia can only intimidate and is not as strong as it seems.

Background: Earlier, The Telegraph reported that Putin had deployed 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops in an attempt to retake Kursk Oblast from Ukraine before Donald Trump took office in January.

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