The commander of the Ukrainian military says Ukraine now controls around 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian territory in the Kursk region after a lightening offensive. The revelation was made Monday in a video posted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel, in which the military chief briefed the president on the front-line situation. It was the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the incursion. “The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,” Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said in the video.
Quick Read
- Ukrainian Forces Control 1,000 Square Kilometers in Russia’s Kursk Region: The commander of the Ukrainian military announced that Ukraine now controls around 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian territory in the Kursk region after a lightning offensive.
- Putin Claims Ukraine’s Incursion Aims to Halt Moscow’s Eastern Offensive: Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region is an attempt to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.
- Russian Forces Scrambling to Respond to Ukrainian Attack: Russian forces are still responding to the surprise Ukrainian attack, with Putin insisting that Moscow’s army will prevail despite the challenges posed by the Ukrainian offensive.
- Zelenskyy Confirms Ukrainian Military Operations in Kursk: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian military forces are operating inside the Kursk region, praising the country’s soldiers and commanders for their decisive actions.
- Putin Suggests Ukraine Hopes to Cause Unrest in Russia: Putin claimed that Ukraine may have hoped the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but he asserted that this goal has not been achieved and that more Russians are volunteering for the military due to the assault.
- Kursk Governor Reports Ukrainian Forces Pushing 12 Kilometers Into Region: Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov reported that Ukrainian forces had pushed 12 kilometers into the Kursk region across a 40-kilometer front, controlling 28 Russian settlements.
- Civilians Affected and Evacuated in Kursk Region: Smirnov stated that 12 civilians have been killed and 121 others wounded, including 10 children. Around 121,000 people have been evacuated or left the affected areas, with a total planned evacuation number of 180,000.
- Difficulties in Tracking Ukrainian Units in Kursk: Smirnov noted that tracking all the Ukrainian units roaming the region is difficult, as some are using fake Russian IDs to evade capture.
- Ukrainian Forces Hold Part of Sudzha Town in Kursk: Ukrainian forces reportedly hold the western part of Sudzha, a town in the Kursk region, which houses an important natural gas station.
- Uncertainty Surrounding Ukrainian Goals in Kursk Offensive: The Ukrainian operation in Kursk is under tight secrecy, with unclear goals, raising questions about whether Kyiv’s forces aim to hold territory or stage hit-and-run raids.
- Kremlin Faces Blow to Propaganda Efforts: The incursion into Kursk delivered a blow to Putin’s efforts to portray that life in Russia remains largely unaffected by the war, with state propaganda downplaying the attack.
- Criticism of Russian Military’s Border Protection: Retired Russian General Andrei Gurulev criticized the Russian military for failing to properly protect the border, stating that the group of forces lacked proper intelligence assets.
- Questions About Use of NATO Weapons by Ukraine: The incursion rekindled questions about whether Ukraine was using NATO-supplied weaponry, with concerns that it might escalate the conflict further, potentially involving NATO in the war.
- Reports of Western Weaponry in Ukrainian Incursion: Russian media reported that U.S. Bradley and German Marder armored infantry vehicles were involved in the incursion, though these claims have not been independently verified.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry Reports Fending Off Ukrainian Attacks: Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that reinforcements backed by air forces and artillery fended off seven attacks by Ukrainian units in the past 24 hours and blocked an attempt by Ukrainian groups to penetrate deeper into Russian territory.
- Ukraine’s Incursion Poses New Challenges for Russian Forces: Analysts suggest that the toughest phase of Ukraine’s incursion is likely to begin as Russian reserves enter the fray, challenging the operational and strategic assumptions of Russian forces.
The Associated Press has the story:
Ukrainian commander says his forces control 1,000 square kilometers in Russia’s Kursk region
Newslooks- KYIV, Ukraine (AP) —
The commander of the Ukrainian military says Ukraine now controls around 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian territory in the Kursk region after a lightening offensive. The revelation was made Monday in a video posted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel, in which the military chief briefed the president on the front-line situation.
It was the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the incursion. “The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,” Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said in the video.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that the Ukrainian army’s incursion into the Kursk region, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee and embarrassed the Kremlin, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks. Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after almost a week of fierce fighting, but Putin insisted Moscow’s army will prevail.
Speaking at a meeting with top security and defense officials, Putin said the attack that began Aug. 6 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s attempt to gain a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian military forces are operating inside the Kursk region. In a post on Telegram, he praised the country’s soldiers and commanders “for their steadfastness and decisive actions.” He did not elaborate. He also suggested that Ukraine would offer humanitarian assistance in the region.
Putin said Ukraine may have hoped that the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but that it has failed to achieve that goal, and he claimed that 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 squeeze out, drive the enemy out of our territories and, together with the border service, to ensure reliable cover of the state border,” he said.
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 in the operation. About 121,000 people have been evacuated or left the areas affected by fighting on their own, he said. The total planned number of evacuations is 180,000.
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.
Ukrainian forces swiftly rolled into the town of Sudzha about 10 kilometers (6 miles) over the border after launching the attack. They reportedly still hold the western part of the town, which is the site of an important natural gas station.
The Ukrainian operation is under tight secrecy, and its goals remain unclear, especially whether Kyiv’s forces aim to hold territory or to stage hit-and-run raids. 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.
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 is 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 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 properly 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 the Russian territory near Kauchuk. Russian air forces and artillery also struck concentrations of Ukrainian troops and equipment near Sudzha, Kurilovka, Pekhovo, Lyubimovo and several other settlements, it said. Warplanes and artillery hit Kyiv’s reserves in Ukraine’s Sumy region across the border, the ministry added.
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.
