- Fighting in the Kursk region <unk> Kiev puts pressure on Moscow
Russia's Attacked Ukraine Pressures Moscow with Offensive on Russian Territory
Ukraine, under attack by Russia, is putting pressure on Moscow by launching an offensive with its troops on Russian territory. Tens of thousands of people have fled the Kursk region due to shelling by rockets, drones, and artillery. The governor of the region, Alexei Smirnov, described the situation as challenging. A residential building in the regional capital of Kursk was hit by the debris of a Ukrainian rocket, injuring at least 15 people, according to authorities. Russia's military forces have received reinforcements to repel the Ukrainian troops, the defense ministry reported.
According to Russia's Ministry of Civil Defense, several border towns have been evacuated, with 76,000 people moved to other regions. The situation in the region of Kursk is unclear, with authorities warning against panic and urging people to stay calm. Air raid sirens could be heard in many places, as shown in official videos from the region.
Experts from the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) estimate that Ukraine's advance has slowed due to the concentration of Russian troops. Nevertheless, Ukrainian forces have maintained previously reported positions near the border and have moved forward in some places, according to the institute, citing Russian military bloggers and the analysis of geodata from published videos.
Russia Continues Attacks on Ukraine – Deaths Near Kyiv
Despite the fighting in its own territory, Russia continues its nearly two-and-a-half-year-long aggressive war against Ukraine with unabated ferocity. In a new air strike near Kyiv, a four-year-old child and his father were killed, and a 12-year-old boy was injured, according to authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the new "deliberate act of terror" and said it was being investigated whether the attack was carried out using a North Korean rocket this time.
Zelenskyy lamented that Russia had fired 30 rockets and 800 guided bombs at Ukraine in the past week alone. While Ukraine is grateful for Western help with air defense, "to really stop Russian terror, we need not only a comprehensive air defense system that protects all our cities and communities but also strong decisions from our partners - decisions that lift restrictions on our defensive actions," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy: West Must Lift Restrictions on Weapons
Ukraine hopes that its Western allies will soon allow it to use missiles with greater range against Russian territory, for which restrictions currently apply. Zelenskyy expects corresponding decisions from the U.S., Britain, and France. If Ukraine could use missiles with greater range without restriction, Zelenskyy said, the war would end. Recently, the country has significantly expanded its attacks on Russia through the production of drones and missiles.
Kyiv: Destroy Russia's Military Infrastructure
Ukraine wants to permanently destroy Russia's military infrastructure to stop the killing of civilians. To stop the deaths, it is necessary to deprive Russia of its ability to kill, said the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak. "It is necessary to destroy its military infrastructure because the enemy does not accept other arguments," Yermak said about the Russian war of aggression.
Zelenskyy wants to put pressure on Russia with the Kursk offensive.
After days of only indirectly addressing the Kursk offensive and stating that the neighboring country should now also feel the war, President Selenskyj spoke out directly about the push over the weekend. He had repeatedly been briefed by the Supreme Commander Olexander Syrskyj about the advancement of the war into the territory of the aggressor. He thanked the soldiers who made this possible. At the same time, he announced an initiative to strip Moscow of its last influence in Ukraine. An expected move in the near future is a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which Selenskyj views as infiltrated by Russian agents. The Church denies any connection to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Experts: Russia downplays the severity of the Kursk situation
According to military experts at the ISW, the Kremlin is downplaying the severity of the Kursk offensive. The region on the border with Ukraine has been designated as an anti-terrorism operation zone, not a war zone, apparently to prevent panic, the analysis said. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is avoiding declaring a state of war due to fears about stability in the country.
Russia declared the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk as anti-terrorism operation zones in the early hours of Saturday, giving the military and other security agencies significantly more powers, personnel, equipment, and resources. This is seen as a step towards potentially imposing martial law.
Belarus moves tanks to the Ukrainian border
Following Ukraine's incursion into Russia, neighboring Belarus is also on high alert. Leader Alexander Lukashenko initially complained about Ukrainian drones entering his country's airspace and ordered a reinforcement of troops in the border region. The defense ministry in Minsk said it had moved tanks onto railway transport for possible deployment to the border.
Air defense has also been put on full alert due to around ten aerial objects from Ukraine entering the country's airspace in the east, Lukashenko said. The foreign ministry said this was a "dangerous attempt to expand the current conflict zone into our region." Ballistic missiles of the "Iskander" type and "Polonez" rocket launchers are also being deployed to the region.
Belarus supports Russia in its war against Ukraine. At the start of the war, the country made its territory available to Russian troops to march into northern Ukraine.
The Kursk offensive put additional pressure on Russia, as Ukraine sought to push back against its invasion. Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, which has lasted nearly two-and-a-half years, continues unabated, resulting in the death of innocent civilians.
