Top Ukrainian commander says his forces now control almost 390 square miles of Russia's Kursk region

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russia's neighboring Kursk region, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the lightning incursion that has embarrassed the Kremlin.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi made the statement in a video posted Monday to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel. In the video, he briefed the president on the front-line situation.

“The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,” Syrskyi said.

Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after almost a week of fierce fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incursion, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.

Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that the Ukrainian military is inside the Kursk region. On Telegram, he praised his country’s soldiers and commanders “for their steadfastness and decisive actions.” He did not elaborate.

The Ukrainian operation is under tight secrecy, and its goals remain unclear. The stunning maneuver that caught the Kremlin’s forces off guard counters Russia’s unrelenting effort in recent months to punch through Ukrainian defenses at selected points along the front line in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking Monday at a meeting with top security and defense officials, Putin said the attack that began Aug. 6 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s attempt to achieve a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war. He insisted Moscow’s army would prevail.

Putin said Ukraine may have hoped the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but that it has failed to do so, and he claimed the number of volunteers to join the Russian military has increased because of the assault. He said Russian forces will carry on with their offensive in eastern Ukraine regardless.

“It’s obvious that the enemy will keep trying to destabilize the situation in the border zone to try to destabilize the domestic political situation in our country,” Putin said. Russia’s main task is to “drive the enemy out of our territories and, together with the border service, to ensure reliable cover of the state border.”

Acting Kursk Gov. Alexei Smirnov reported to Putin that Ukrainian forces had pushed 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the Kursk region across a 40-kilometer (25-mile) front and currently control 28 Russian settlements.

Smirnov said 12 civilians have been killed and 121 others, including 10 children, have been wounded. About 121,000 people have been evacuated or left the areas affected by fighting on their own, he said.

Tracking down all the Ukrainian units that are roaming the region and creating diversions is difficult, Smirnov said, noting that some are using fake Russian IDs.

The governor of the Belgorod region adjacent to Kursk also announced the evacuation of people from a district near the Ukrainian border.

Zelenskyy said the territory now controlled by Ukrainian forces was used to strike Ukraine's Sumy region many times, adding that it is “absolutely fair to destroy Russian terrorists where they are."

“Russia brought war to others. Now it is coming home," he said in a video posted on Telegram.

Russia has seen previous incursions into its territory during the nearly 2 1/2-year war, but the foray into the Kursk region marked the largest attack on its soil since World War II, constituting a milestone in the hostilities. It was also the first time the Ukrainian army has spearheaded an incursion rather than pro-Ukraine Russian fighters.

The advance delivered a blow to Putin’s efforts to pretend that life in Russia has been largely unaffected by the war. State propaganda tried to play down the attack, emphasizing the authorities’ efforts to help residents of the region and seeking to distract attention from the military’s failure to prepare for the attack and quickly repel it.

Kursk residents recorded videos lamenting that they had to flee the border area, leaving behind their belongings, and pleading with Putin for help. But Russia’s state-controlled media kept a tight lid on any expression of discontent.

Retired Gen. Andrei Gurulev, a member of the lower house of the Russian parliament, criticized the military for failing to protect the border.

“Regrettably, the group of forces protecting the border didn’t have its own intelligence assets,” he said on his messaging app channel. “No one likes to see the truth in reports, everybody just wants to hear that all is good.”

The combat inside Russia rekindled questions about whether Ukraine was using weaponry supplied by NATO members. Some Western countries have balked at allowing Ukraine to use their military aid to hit Russian soil, fearing it would fuel an escalation that might drag Russia and NATO into war.

Though it’s not clear what weapons Ukraine is using across the border, Russian media widely reported that American Bradley and German Marder armored infantry vehicles were there. The claim could not be independently verified.

Ukraine has already used U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview published Monday that the weapons provided by his country “cannot be used to attack Russia on its territory.”

Meanwhile, German Defense Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz said Monday that legal experts agree that “international law provides for a state that is defending itself also to defend itself on the territory of the attacker. That is clear from our point of view, too.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that reinforcements sent to the area backed by air forces and artillery had fended off seven attacks by Ukrainian units near Martynovka, Borki and Korenevo during the previous 24 hours.

The ministry said Russian forces also blocked an attempt by Ukrainian mobile groups to forge deep into Russian territory near Kauchuk.

Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group open-source intelligence agency, which monitors the war, said the toughest phase of Ukraine’s incursion is likely to begin now as Russian reserves enter the fray.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

People evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kursk region sit next to tents at a temporary residence center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

People evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kursk region sit next to tents at a temporary residence center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, shakes hands with US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Looks on in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

A woman evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kursk region chooses clothes at a temporary residence center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

In this image made from video provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry press service, people board a bus during evacuation from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Belovsky district, Kursk region, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Ministry of Emergency Situations press service via AP)

This photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry press service on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, shows Russian military vehicle boarding a lowboy for transfer to Kursk region. (Russian Defense Press Service via AP)

In this image made from video provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry press service, people board a bus during evacuation from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Belovsky district, Kursk region, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Ministry of Emergency Situations press service via AP)

People evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kursk region sit next to tents at a temporary residence center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry press service on Aug. 12, people watch a video address of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the opening ceremony of Army-2024 military technical forum at Patriot Park outside of Moscow, Russia, on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Dmitry Harichkov, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, centre, and D-Conn. and US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pose for a photo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, leads the meeting with top security and defence officials dedicated to the situation in Kursk and Belgorod border regions, at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, leads the meeting with top security and defence officials dedicated to the situation in Kursk and Belgorod border regions, at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin leads the meeting with top security and defence officials dedicated to the situation in Kursk and Belgorod border regions, at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin leads the meeting with top security and defense officials about the situation in Kursk and Belgorod border regions, at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, leads the meeting with top security and defence officials dedicated to the situation in Kursk and Belgorod border regions, at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

People evacuated from fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces queue to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

People evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces queue to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

People evacuated from fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces queue to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

People evacuated from fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces queue to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution center in Kursk, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, leads a meeting with top security and defense officials about the situation in Kursk and Belgorod border regions, at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Volunteers unload humanitarian aid to people evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, at a temporary residence center in Kursk, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo)

A Russian Red Cross worker, back to a camera, listens to people evacuated from a fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, at a temporary residence center in Kursk, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo)

In this image from a surveillance camera provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, smoke rises from a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in a Russia-controlled area in the Energodar, Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, Ka-52 helicopters gunships of the Russian air force take off to air strike on concentrations of manpower, armored vehicles and automobile military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were arrested Monday on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to guarantee that the department's fire-safety division gave preferential treatment to some individuals and companies.

Anthony Saccavino, 59, of Manhattan and Brian Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges alleging that they solicited and accepted the bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023.

They each were freed on $250,000 bail after entering not guilty pleas before a federal judge. Outside the courthouse, neither commented.

The arrests came as multiple ongoing federal investigations swirl around Mayor Eric Adams and his top deputies, including one inquiry that appears at least partly focused on whether the administration sped up fire safety inspections at the Turkish consulate in exchange for illegal contributions.

Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to say whether the case against the former fire chiefs was related to “any other investigation we may or may not be doing.” But he put people on notice that his office is continuing to pursue any corruption.

“We are determined to address it from root to branch, and our work is far from done,” he said at a news conference.

Cordasco and Saccavino were former chiefs of the city Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention, which is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed.

Outside the courthouse, attorney Joseph Caldarera called his client, Saccavino, “an American hero,” a 9/11 first responder who had been with the department since 1995. Prosecutors, he said, "got the wrong guy.”

“He vehemently denies all of the allegations against him today,” the lawyer said. “Is this connected to City Hall? Is this connected to Eric Adams? I'm sure that's the next big question. At this time we don't know and we don't have an answer to that question.”

Attorney Frank Rothman, representing Cordasco, told reporters that his client “has been a dedicated firefighter for two decades, serving fearlessly and faithfully.”

He added: “This is indeed a sad and troubling day, but I'm glad he's on his way home.”

While the indictment makes no reference to projects linked to the Turkish government, it does refer to a “City Hall List” allegedly used by the fire department to “track inquiries and requests from City Hall stakeholders” and give priority to those projects. Adams, a Democrat, has previously denied the existence of the priority list.

In a lawsuit filed last year, a former fire chief said the list had grown substantially under Adams, becoming “a mechanism to press the FDNY to permit politically connected developers to cut the inspection line.”

Williams said at Monday's news conference that Cordasco and Saccavino allegedly used the list to "excuse or cover up the way in which they were pressuring other folks to expedite the matters they were being bribed to expedite.”

According to a news release, Saccavino and Cardasco solicited and accepted bribes from a retired firefighter who ran an unsanctioned “expediting” business that promised customers that he could fast-track their plan reviews and inspection dates in exchange for a fee. Williams said the retired firefighter has pleaded guilty to charges in the case.

The trio managed to collect over $190,000 in payments in a scheme they launched after the coronavirus pandemic created a backlog of work for the fire department's fire-safety division, Williams said.

Even as Cordasco allegedly participated in a bribery scheme, he was raising concern internally about the ethics of granting priority to other projects, according to emails obtained last year by The Associated Press and other outlets.

Following a request by City Hall to expedite an inspection at Hudson Yards, a Manhattan mega-development, Cordasco wrote to other chiefs that it was “extremely unfair to the applicants who had been waiting at least eight weeks for their inspections.”

In a statement, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said the department will “fully cooperate” with the investigation, adding each of his employees has sworn an oath to honest and ethical behavior and that "anything less will not be tolerated.”

Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone.

Associated Press Writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco leaves federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

This Feb. 7, 2023 image provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Brian Cordasco, one of two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)

This Feb. 7, 2023 image provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Anthony Saccavino, one of two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)

This combo of Feb. 7, 2023 images provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Brian Cordasco, left, and Anthony Saccavino, two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, holds a binder marked confidential during a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy looks on as DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber, speaks as Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, left, and FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy, second from left, look on during a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams points to a graphic detailing a New York City Fire Department bribery scheme at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, points to a graphic detailing a FDNY bribery scheme at a press conference held at the Federal Plaza in New York, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)