- Fighting at Kursk - drone attacks on Russian hinterland
Three days after the surprising advance of Ukrainian troops onto Russian territory in Kursk, Ukraine has launched drone attacks on several Russian regions. An attack on a military airbase near the city of Lipetsk, around 300 kilometers north of the Ukrainian-Russian border, resulted in massive explosions at an ammunition depot. Air raid alerts were also triggered in the neighboring regions of Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod, and Voronezh, as well as on the Crimean Peninsula. Over 70 drones were intercepted, according to Russian authorities.
Governor Igor Artamonov announced on Telegram that the city of Lipetsk has been declared a state of emergency to deal with the aftermath of the explosions. Four villages around the military airport were to be evacuated. Public transportation in Lipetsk and surrounding areas was stopped, and power outages occurred due to damage to an energy facility. Nine people were injured as a result of the attacks. The military airport is located approximately 280 kilometers from the Ukrainian border by air.
Ukrainian attacks were also recorded on the annexed Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula. Three Ukrainian drones and one "Neptun" type rocket were shot down over the sea near the port city of Sevastopol, according to the Moscow-appointed governor of the city, Mikhail Razvozhayev. Three sea drones were also destroyed. "There were no damages to civilian objects in the city," Razvozhayev emphasized on Telegram. However, videos of explosions and fires, mostly around the military airport of Belbek, were circulating on social media.
Fighting continues in the Kursk region
Four more rockets were shot down over the Kursk region, officials reported. Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops has been ongoing in the region bordering Ukraine since Tuesday. Ukrainian troops are said to control several Russian border villages.
Following an Ukrainian artillery strike, reportedly on a Russian military column east of the city of Rylsk, fires broke out. Residents shared unverified footage of burning military equipment on social media, reporting multiple impacts. A video taken in the morning, supposedly showing the aftermath of this incident, shows around a dozen partly burned military trucks. Independent confirmation was not available.
Military observers reported that fighting in the Kursk region continued throughout the night, with both sides bringing in reserves. There were no reliable reports of frontline shifts initially.
Ukraine provides no details on fighting on Russian territory
The Ukrainian General Staff made no further statements about the fighting on Russian territory. In its morning report on Facebook, it only mentioned Russian air and artillery attacks on the border between the northeastern Ukrainian regions of Chernihiv and Sumy, affecting more than half a dozen villages, especially in the border area with Russia.
Ukrainian military observers of the DeepState channel marked an area of about 140 square kilometers in the Kursk region with three villages as under Ukrainian control. The city of Sudzha is not under Ukrainian control. Due to an apparent information blackout from the Ukrainian side, there are hardly any recordings of the events.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously announced an escalation of the war onto Russian territory. "Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done," the head of state said in his evening video address on Thursday, without delving into the battles in the Kursk region.
Ukraine repels Russian drone attacks
Russia also targeted Ukraine with combat drones. The Ukrainian air force reported that 27 Russian drones of Iranian origin were all shot down or intercepted by radio electronic means. Air defense was active over central Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv and Poltava, the border region of Sumy in the northeast, the south over the regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson, and the east over the regions of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk. No damage was initially reported.
Meanwhile, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, local authorities reported that at least four civilians were killed and twelve injured by Russian shelling and artillery attacks. At least five injured people were also registered in the neighboring region of Kharkiv. In the region of Kherson, six people were reportedly injured.
Russia began its war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Even in the border regions, Russians are increasingly feeling the consequences of the war. The damage is usually incomparable to the devastating destruction and the many deaths and injuries on the Ukrainian side due to Russian attacks.
The European Union has expressed concern over the escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia, calling for an immediate de-escalation and adherence to international law. The European Union is closely monitoring the situation and has pledged to provide humanitarian aid to affected civilians.
Given the strategic location of the Kursk region, any further escalation could have significant implications for the stability of Europe as a whole. The European Union, as a collective body, has the capacity and responsibility to engage in diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider conflict.
