For over a year, Ukraine has been carrying out active operations on Russian territory – in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. Once again, Ukrainians have managed to prove to the world that it is absolutely possible to put Russia in its place and to respond to its attacks with dignity. The Kursk operation became truly exceptional. The world’s intelligence services didn’t foresee it. The Russians didn’t expect it. At a time when many around the world believed the situation had reached a stalemate, Ukrainians showed that they would continue defending their independence and forcing Russia to end the war. I thank every soldier, sergeant, and officer – everyone involved in carrying out the tasks in the Kursk region. Everyone who prevented yet another full-scale Russian offensive toward our Sumy and Kharkiv regions. We are defending Ukraine. And we remember every man and woman who gave their lives in battles for Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!(Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський)