Ukraine controls 100 settlements and an area of 1,294 square kilometers in the Russian border region of Kursk, where, since the start of its offensive three weeks ago, it has captured 594 Russian soldiers, the chief of the Ukrainian armed forces announced today.

“To date, we have taken control of 1,294 square kilometers of territory and 100 settlements during the creation of a security zone in the Kursk region,” said Oleksandr Syrskyi during a forum in Kyiv. “A total of 594 members of the Russian armed forces have been captured in this zone,” he added.

“To create a security zone, stopping the shelling from the territory of the Russian Federation, and protecting non-military targets in the Sumy region, a decision was made, and on August 6, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched an offensive operation in the direction of Kursk. We continue to advance, inflicting significant losses in manpower and equipment on the Russian troops,” stated the head of the Ukrainian military staff, explaining the objective of Kyiv’s operation on Russian territory.

Syrsky also mentioned that the Russian armed forces’ command has already transferred around 30,000 Russian soldiers from other fronts to the Kursk region, but they have not withdrawn their forces from Pokhrovsky, where the situation remains quite difficult.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied a media report claiming that Ukraine’s raid on the Russian Kursk region derailed negotiations in Qatar aimed at stopping Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.

Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that Ukraine and Russia were ready to send delegations to Qatar to negotiate a landmark deal to halt strikes on energy infrastructure on both sides of the conflict.

Zelensky said he would present a plan to the U.S. to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to present a plan to the U.S. outlining how he intends to end the war with Russia. Zelensky—who gave a press conference on Saturday to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day—said he will present the plan to presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as well as the current president, Joe Biden.

The plan will include steps on the diplomatic and economic fronts, he said—separate from Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk, which was also part of a strategy to push Moscow towards peace talks.

Zelensky also mentioned during the press conference in Kyiv that Ukraine conducted its first test of a domestically produced ballistic missile. Ukraine has already used some ballistic missiles against Russia, provided by the U.S.

Ukrainians reportedly attempt invasion in Belgorod.

At the same time, increased activity was observed on Tuesday morning around Belgorod, near Russia’s southern border with Ukraine. Russian Telegram channels, citing security service connections, reported that Ukrainian forces are attempting an invasion, having already attacked a border station there.

Belgorod borders the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have occupied Russian territory after a surprise invasion on August 6.

According to Reuters, the Telegram channel Mash reported that around 500 Ukrainian soldiers attacked two Russian checkpoints in Nekhoteyevka and Shebekino in the Belgorod region.

Mash noted that up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers, with infantry vehicles, attempted to cross the border at Nekhoteyevka but were fired upon by Russian artillery. Additionally, around 300 Ukrainian soldiers reportedly attacked another checkpoint in Shebekino.

There was no official confirmation of these reports, and another news channel, SHOT, stated that Ukrainian forces were repelled from Nekhoteyevka into the surrounding forests after suffering losses. SHOT noted that there were no clashes in Shebekino.

In a message on Telegram, Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov did not comment on the aforementioned border battles but stated that “the situation remains difficult.” “There is information that the enemy is trying to breach the border in the Belgorod region. Our military is executing planned operations. Please remain calm and trust only official sources of information,” added Gladkov.

Moscow claims Ukraine didn’t plan the Kursk invasion alone.

Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s intelligence service, stated today that Moscow does not believe that Ukraine planned the invasion of the western Russian Kursk region by itself, according to state news agency Tass.

Russia has claimed, without providing evidence, that the United States helped Kyiv launch its surprise attack on Russian territory on August 6.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Sergey Ryabkov said today that U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s ongoing raid on the western Russian Kursk region is a “fact,” Tass reported.

Ryabkov did not provide any evidence to support his claim but warned that Moscow’s response could be much harsher than before, according to another state news agency, RIA. The White House has stated that it had no prior knowledge of the Ukrainian operation.