The increase in the pace of Russia's advance in the Pokrovske direction in Donetsk region is not related to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region of Russia. This was stated by Czech President Petr Pavel during a press conference in Prague, UNN reports.
"I don't think there is a direct connection between the Kursk operation and the higher rate of Russian advance (in Donbas - ed.). It simply means that the Russian leadership continues to move towards the goal of seizing the territory of all four regions that they consider theirs. And this is what they want to achieve within a convenient time, while the weather is still good for military operations," Pavel said.
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Earlier, MP and Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Mariana Bezuhla told Radio Liberty that the rapid advance of Russian troops in the Pokrovske direction may be due to the fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces units were pulled back to conduct an offensive in the Kursk region of Russia.
On August 27, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that one of the main goals of the Kursk operation was to divert Russian forces from critical areas of the front, and Russia had anticipated this goal and instead focused its main efforts and increased its presence in the Pokrovske direction.