Russian information resources claim that the Ukrainian Armed Forces already control the Sudzha gas metering station, which is a key border facility for transporting Russian gas to Europe.
On August 6, Ukrainian troops entered the Kursk region and consolidated their positions in the border zone. According to various sources, one or two battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces entered the territory of the Kursk region. The Ukrainian and Russian sides suffered losses in equipment. According to the Russian authorities, local residents and Russian soldiers were injured. Putin called the fighting in the Kursk region a large-scale provocation.
On August 7, Vladimir Putin commented for the first time on the situation in the Kursk region, calling the events there a “large-scale provocation” on the part of Ukraine.
Earlier, Russia said that Ukrainian fighters from the 22nd Brigade had broken through the border in the region. Later, photos of Russian equipment appeared, and evacuation began in Russian border settlements.
Putin said at a meeting with the Russian government that Ukraine “is conducting indiscriminate shooting from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings, and ambulances.”
Ukraine does not comment on military actions in Kursk region
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in response to a request to comment on what was happening near Sudeya, told the BBC Ukrainian Service the day before:
We don’t have any information on this matter yet.
Russian military propagandists report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced several kilometers in the Kursk region. According to their reports, Russian soldiers are engaged in intense fighting, some of whom are almost completely surrounded. This was reported on Telegram by the Rybar channel (almost 1.2 million subscribers), which is close to the Russian Defense Ministry:
According to information from our sources, the Ukrainian formation managed to gain a foothold in the border zone, despite intensive strikes and attacks by Russian troops.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces occupied three settlements in the morning and are advancing to the western suburb of Sudzha – the village of Goncharovka. It is reported that fighting continues there.
Russian publics write (information needs confirmation – “Rakurs”) that in total there are up to 400 members of Ukrainian formations in the territory of the Kursk region controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the same time, the enemy command continues to push reserves into the area.”
Even more soldiers, according to the Rybar channel, may be recruited in the future:
In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command has concentrated about two thousand members of Ukrainian formations along the border.
What is the offensive for?
Yaroslav Trofimov, the Wall Street Journal’s chief international affairs correspondent and an expert on Ukraine, called it “the most borderline offensive [ЗСУ] since the beginning of the war.”
Today (August 7) will show whether this is just a border skirmish, or whether Ukraine is really trying to occupy a significant part of Russian territory in order to eventually exchange it for occupied Ukrainian lands, Trofimov believes.
Other military observers view the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ prospects at Kursk with skepticism: it could be an attempt at a diversionary maneuver by Ukraine, which has been retreating on certain sections of the front for several months. They doubt that the offensive can succeed.
A Ukrainian military expert close to the government, who wished to remain anonymous, told BILD that the Kursk offensive was merely a PR campaign by the Ukrainian army:
We are talking about non-linear and asymmetric warfare.
BILD military observers Philipp Piatow and Julian Ripke sum up: Ukraine wants to force Moscow to reassess its position in this war by attacking Russia’s western region. Russia’s armed forces suddenly have to defend themselves inside Russia. Kyiv hopes to gain strategic advantages from Putin’s reorientation toward border defense.
What’s there in the Russian hinterland?
The operational headquarters in the Kursk region has decided to cancel mass measures, the head of the region, Alexey Smirnov, told Verkhovna Rada.
In addition, according to him, several thousand people have left the region over the past 24 hours.
Despite this, as residents of the Kursk region said, the regional authorities did not organize evacuation from the areas where fighting is taking place. In addition, there is no communication in the city of Sudzha, as well as water, electricity and gas.
The decision to cancel mass events was made against the backdrop of the second day of military actions in the region. Overnight, two missiles and four Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region. The authorities stated that 28 people were injured in the region. It was also reported that several conscripts were taken prisoner.
The head of Ukrposhta announces the opening of a new branch in Sudzha (Kursk region) on the site of the former Russian Post office.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.