Zelenskyy states that the Kursk invasion aimed to establish a Russo-Ukrainian 'buffer zone.'

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the surprise invasion of Russia's Kursk region by Ukraine is aimed at establishing a "buffer zone" between the two countries and making it more difficult for Moscow to launch cross-border offensives.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy stated that our main objective in defensive operations is to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and carry out maximum counteroffensive actions.

Zelenskyy continued, stating that our operation in the Kursk region involves establishing a buffer zone on the aggressor's territory.

Ukrainian forces destroyed two bridges in the region this weekend in an attempt to disrupt Russian supply lines. Pro-Kremlin war bloggers have acknowledged the success of the first strike, which targeted a bridge on the Seim River near the village of Glushkovo, Russia. The location and efficacy of the second attack were not specified as of Sunday morning.

The ongoing strikes in Russia have made an already precarious situation worse, prompting Moscow to reconsider its approach to the conflict in Ukraine's northeastern region, which was previously dismissed as unimportant to the conflict.

According to George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast has created a decision-point for the Kremlin and the Russian military command regarding the legitimacy of the 1,000 kilometer-long international border with northeastern Ukraine as a front line that Russia must defend.

"Barros pointed out that Russia has invested a significant amount of resources in constructing fortifications along the international border, but has not allocated enough manpower and equipment to effectively man and defend those fortifications."

Since the start of the operation on Aug. 6, Russia has lost approximately 400 square miles of territory, according to Ukraine's claims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.