Ukraine says its forces advancing one to three kilometres in Russia's Kursk region

(Patria) - Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrsky said on Friday that his forces had advanced between one and three kilometres in some areas of Russia's Kursk region, Reuters reported.

Ukraine said it had taken control of 82 settlements covering an area of 1,150 square kilometres in the region after launching a major cross-border incursion on August 6.

Briefing President Volodymyr Zelensky via video link, Syrsky reported on fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, some 11.5 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

"Generally, the situation is under control, everything is going according to plan," Syrsky said in a video posted by Zelensky on Telegram.

He said he hoped that the fighting near Malaya Loknya would allow the Ukrainian army to capture "many prisoners".

Ukrainian officials reported that hundreds of Russian soldiers had been captured during the incursion, expressing hope that this would speed up the exchange of Ukrainian fighters held in Russian captivity.

"The Kursk region operation - we are strengthening our positions and replenishing the 'exchange fund' for Ukraine," Zelensky said on social media platform X.

Syrsky added that intense fighting continued on the Ukrainian front line in the east, particularly in Toretsk and the strategic hub of the Pokrovsk area.