Russian army continues fight against Ukrainian incursion into Kursk
Russia continued to fight Thursday against a major incursion by Ukrainian troops into the border region of Kursk, an unexpected setback for the Kremlin, whose army had until then been at an advantage on the front line.
Kiev troops pushed into the Kursk region of southwestern Russia on Tuesday morning with about 1,000 soldiers and about 20 armoured vehicles and tanks, according to the Russian military.
All indications are that this is the most significant border incursion by Ukraine since Russia launched its military offensive in February 2022.
"The operation to destroy Ukrainian army units is continuing" with air strikes, rocket and artillery fire against troops who entered two border districts, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
The ministry added that it sent reserves to the site of the incursion to help "contain attempts to break through" further into Kursk.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that "Ukrainian forces have made confirmed advances of up to 10km into the Russian Kursk region".
"The confirmed size and location of Ukrainian advances in the Kursk region indicate that Ukrainian forces breached at least two defensive lines and a Russian stronghold," the US-based think tank added.
NEW: Ukrainian forces have made confirmed advances up to 10 kilometers into Russia's Kursk Oblast amid continued mechanized offensive operations on Russian territory on August 7.
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 8, 2024
🧵(1/9) pic.twitter.com/8ZFlCoAgqD
Kiev has not formally commented on the incursion, but Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak said the operation was a consequence of Russian "aggression" against his country.
The primary cause of any escalation, any shelling, any military action (...), including within the territory of the Russian Federation such as the Kursk and Belgorod regions, is solely Russian aggression," Podoliak posted on X. "The Ukrainian president's adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, said the operation is a consequence of Russian "aggression" against his country.
Without citing the attacks in Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky declared on Wednesday that "the more pressure we put on Russia (...) the closer we will be to achieving peace. A just peace through just force.
The root cause of any escalation, shelling, military actions, forced evacuations, and destruction of normal life forms, including within Rf’s own territories like #Kursk and Belgorod regions, is solely Russia’s unequivocal aggression. This includes attempts to seize foreign…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 8, 2024
"Situation complex and worsening"
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a "large-scale provocation" by Kiev, while his army vowed to crush the incursion.
The advance has focused on the logistical centre of Sudzha, a village of 5,000 people 8km from the Ukrainian border.
The Moscow authorities have provided little information.
However, Russian military bloggers close to the army reported significant progress and lamented a deterioration of the situation.
Russian border guards (and likely also young conscripts) surrender to Ukrainian forces in huge numbers in Russia's Kursk region.
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) August 8, 2024
Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/tZtn37jba8
"The situation is complex and continues to worsen," blogger Yury Podolyaka said on Telegram.
He said Sudzha was "full of Ukrainian soldiers".
"The enemy is gaining a foothold, which indicates that the fighting will be long term," the Dva Mayora Telegram channel noted.
Several military bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces are advancing to the town of Korenevo, more than 25 km from the border.
The governor of the Kursk region proposed Wednesday night to declare a state of emergency, which gives authorities the power to restrict movement, in an attempt to control the situation.
Thousands of people have been evacuated on both sides of the border.
