Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that there is no encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region and that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continue their operation in certain areas of the border region. He wrote this on his Telegram channel while commenting on the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"The units are carrying out their tasks exactly as needed. Thanks to Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, a significant number of Russian forces have been diverted to other directions. There is no encirclement of our troops," the statement reads.
According to Zelensky, AFU fighters stationed in the Kursk region "continue to hold back" the advance of Russian troops.
The day before, the Ukrainian president stated that the AFU operation in the Kursk region "had fulfilled its task." "The situation is very difficult right now. I can only thank our warriors for this operation," Zelensky said.
On March 12, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the encirclement of the Ukrainian group in the Kursk region and the surrender of several hundred soldiers. He also reported that Russian forces had liberated more than 86% of the border region's territory, which had previously been under AFU control (over 1,100 out of 1,268 square kilometers).
On March 14, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed Putin, calling on him to "spare" the encircled AFU fighters in the Kursk region. In response, the Russian leader stated that Moscow was ready to guarantee the Ukrainian soldiers' lives and humane treatment, but for this, the Ukrainian authorities must order their military units to lay down their arms and surrender.