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Zelensky Breaks Silence on Ukrainian Operation in Russian territory
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
i24 News – The Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory entered its sixth day on Sunday, with Russian forces apparently slowing the progress of Ukrainian troops. However, the situation on the ground is uncertain with Ukrainian forces keeping the operation discreet.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Western countries in a message on Telegram on Sunday, breaking his silence on the military operation.
“Ukraine is grateful to all its partners who assist it with defense systems and air force,” he said. “But to truly stop Russian terror, we need not just aerial defense, which protects our citizens and our cities, but also strong decisions by our allies to remove the restrictions on our defense actions. When Ukraine’s firing range is unlimited, this war will certainly be limited – and we will be able to truly bring about its justified end.”
Zelensky seemed to refer to the pressure Ukraine is exerting on the US to allow it to use MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to strike Russian forces within Russian territory. A few days ago, the Washington Post reported that Ukrainian officials had asked Washington to allow them to use long-range ATACMS missiles to hit airfields used by Russia and strike Russian forces in the Kursk region, which borders the northeastern part of Ukraine. The West has so far not issued any statement in opposition to the invasion of Russia, with the Pentagon stating that this does not constitute an escalation in their view.
On Saturday night, Zelensky admitted for the first time that his army is conducting operations in Russian territory, referring to it in his daily speech.
“Chief of Staff [Oleksandr] Syrskyi reported to me several times over the day about the situation on the front and our actions that are pushing the war in to the invader’s territory.”
Meanwhile, Russia sent reinforcements to the battlefield in Kursk, including reservists, but there is still no evidence of organized counter-assaults or combat. Russia is also reportedly transferring fighters who participated in Ukraine’s Kharkiv front to the Kursk region.
In addition, the commander of the unmanned aircraft unit of the Ukrainian army’s 92nd Brigade told national broadcaster Suspilne Ukraine that artillery fire from Russian forces toward Kharkiv has decreased in the wake of the Kursk operation.
Russian authorities announced that more than 76,000 citizens were evacuated from embattled areas of the Kursk region. About 4,000 moved to temporary residences, while others went to live with family members.
The Russian defense ministry reported that their air defense intercepted 14 drones and four tactical ballistic missiles launched by Ukraine towards the Kursk region Sunday morning. Official sources in Kursk stated that 13 people were wounded in the city after debris from an intercepted Ukrainian missile fell on a nine-story residential building.
The post Zelensky Breaks Silence on Ukrainian Operation in Russian territory first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.