[Korrespondent] 19:28 Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region is fulfilling its tasks and is going according to plan. "As for the difficulties in the Pokrovsky and Toretsky directions, we believe that the Kursk operation can also affect this. There may be a decrease in the escalation due to the reduction in the number of Russian troops. But for now it is difficult there," the president admitted.
11:12 Putin called the Ukrainian Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region an attempt to stop Russia's offensive in Donbass, but, according to him, this was not possible. He also said that Moscow has never refused peace talks, but "we need to deal with the bandits" who have penetrated the country's territory. According to the head of the Kremlin, the current Ukrainian authorities are allegedly not interested in ending the fighting because they do not want to hold presidential elections.
09:57 Military journalist Andrey Tsaplienko visited the Kursk region and in his report told what is happening in the territory controlled by Ukraine. According to him, the Russian army is killing its own citizens with KABs in the territory of Sudzha and other settlements of the region that are under the control of the Ukrainian military. The Ukrainian commandant's office is perceived by locals as an authority, and some local residents no longer want to return to Russia.
09:56 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russia has redeployed several units from the Pokrovsk direction to the Kursk region. Thus, Russian publics claimed on August 14 and 17 that at least a company of the Russian 15th Motorized Rifle Brigade had redeployed from the Pokrovsk direction to the Kursk region. Also, according to OSINT organizations, Russia has redeployed elements of the 1st "Slavic" Motorized Rifle Brigade from the Donetsk direction to the Kursk region.
The redeployed units were probably reserve units that the Russian military command intended to use to strengthen the group in the Toretsk and Pokrovsky directions, analysts believe.