Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and newly appointed top military commanders, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 10, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo
(Reuters) - Ukraine's army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday that Kyiv's forces were advancing between one and three kilometres in some areas in Russia's Kursk region.
Ukraine has said it has taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometres (444 square miles) in the region after it launched a major cross-border attack on Aug. 6.
Briefing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy via video link, Syrskyi reported fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, some 11.5 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
"In general, the situation is under control, everything is carried out following the plan," Syrskyi said in a video published by Zelenskiy on Telegram.
He said he hoped the fighting near Malaya Loknya would allow the Kyiv military to capture "many prisoners".
Ukrainian officials reported that hundreds of Russian troops had been taken prisoners during the incursion, expressing hope it would speed up the swapping of Ukrainian fighters held in Russian captivity.
"The Kursk region operation - we are strengthening our positions and replenishing 'exchange fund' for Ukraine," Zelenskiy said on X.
Syrskyi added that intense fighting continued in Ukraine's frontline in the east, in particular in Toretsk and the strategic hub of Pokrovsk areas.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Toby Chopra)
