Putin Chairs Kremlin Session on Kursk Invasion

Aug. 14—A high-llevel meeting took place in the Krelim, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin Aug. 12 on the matter of coordinating actions in defense of Russia’s citizens living in the regions on Ukraine’s border. It was, was attended by the governors of the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod Regions, the Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, the First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, the Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu, the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and seven others. Putin opened the deliberations, saying in part:

“It goes without saying that the main objective for the Defense Ministry is to force the adversary to withdraw from our territory and reliably secure our state border by working together with the Border Service….

“It is now becoming increasingly clear why the Kiev regime rejected our proposals for a peaceful settlement, as well as those from interested and neutral mediators. It appears that the enemy, with the support from their Western backers, is executing their directives, and the West is using Ukrainians as proxies in this conflict. It seems the opponent is aiming to strengthen their negotiating position for the future. However, what kind of negotiations can we have with those who indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities? What is there to discuss with such parties?

“Second, these actions clearly aim to achieve a primary military objective: to halt the advance of our forces in their effort to fully liberate the territories of the Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics, the Novorossiya region. So, what is the current situation on the front lines, and what are the results? The pace of offensive operations by the Russian Armed Forces, volunteers, and veterans has not only remained steady but has actually increased by 50%. Our troops are advancing along the entire front.

“Lastly, another clear objective of the enemy is to create discord and division within our society, to instill fear, and to undermine the unity and cohesion of the Russian people. They aim to disrupt the domestic political landscape. However, the response from Russian citizens has been resolute: there is widespread support for those in need, strong backing for the army, and, importantly, a rising number of individuals eager to join the ranks of those heroically defending Russia. Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of people signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

“The leaders of the Kiev regime are not only perpetrating crimes against the Russian people but are also, in effect, pursuing the destruction of their own citizens, the Ukrainian people, whom they evidently no longer view as their own. The casualties among the Ukrainian armed forces are rising sharply, including among their most effective units and divisions, which are being redeployed to our borders.”