Moscow is trying to cut off Kiev's troops from supplies
Russia's President Putin calls it a "provocation", others see it as a brave diversionary move by Ukraine. The goals of Kyiv's offensive in the Russian region of Kursk remain unknown. President Zelensky wants Russia to "feel" the war.
Russian troops have been fighting against a Ukrainian incursion for the third day in a row, according to reports from Moscow. Russian forces and border guards are preventing Ukrainian units from advancing deeper into Kursk, the Russian Defense Ministry said. At the same time, the Russian army is attacking Ukrainian forces trying to retreat from the Ukrainian border region of Sumy.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin during a video conference that about 100 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and more than 200 injured in the fighting, Russian news agencies reported. Putin accused Ukraine of randomly shelling civilian buildings, homes, and ambulances, describing it as a "large-scale provocation". The Russian Health Ministry said that since the start of the Ukrainian incursion, 66 civilians have been injured, including nine children. Authorities in the Kursk region reported at least five civilian deaths, including two paramedics.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the incursion. President Volodymyr Zelensky said only in the evening: "Russia brought the war to our country, and it should feel what it has done. The Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals."
The deputy governor of Kursk, Andrei Belostotsky, told the state news agency RIA Novosti that "the enemy has not advanced a single meter, but rather is retreating". He also said that the enemy's equipment and combat troops are being "actively destroyed". Governor Alexei Smirnov said that the region plans to equip gas stations with electronic warfare devices and provide them with some kind of armored protection.
"If the war doesn't go according to their scenarios"
The Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 15 kilometers into Russian territory. This has not been confirmed. Ukrainian government representatives have not yet commented on the scope of the operation around the town of Sushcha. It is not possible to independently verify the Russian claims. Misinformation and propaganda play a central role in war.
Ukraine could be trying to lure Russian reserve units into the area with its border crossing operation, thereby weakening Russian attacks in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, where Russian invasion forces have recently achieved important operational successes. However, such an action carries the risk of further thinning out the already outnumbered Ukrainian troops along the more than 1,000-kilometer front.
Ukrainian President's advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that the attacks in the border region would force Russia to "realize that the war is slowly creeping into Russian territory". This will certainly give the Russians a scare. Podolyak also hinted that Kyiv expects to gain advantages in negotiations from such a move. "When will it be possible to conduct a negotiating process in such a way that we can pressure them or get something from them? Only when the war doesn't go according to their scenarios," he said.
The Commission, comprised of international diplomats, has urged both Russia and Ukraine to de-escalate the situation in the border region. According to The Commission's statement, a peaceful resolution is the only way to prevent further loss of lives and potential escalation of the conflict.
Facing international criticism, the Russian Commission on Human Rights has expressed concern over reports of civilian casualties in the area, calling for an immediate investigation into these allegations.
