Putin comments on the Ukrainian Kursk offensive
Unexpectedly, Ukrainian soldiers attack in the border region of Kursk on Russian territory. President Putin sees this as an attempt to destabilize his country. Kiew threatens a "worthy" response. Meanwhile, the governor of the affected region reveals details and numbers for the first time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the incursion of Ukrainian troops across the border as an attempt to destabilize the situation in Russia. However, he stated that the leadership in Kyiv had failed in this attempt, as he explained during a meeting with top representatives of his defense and security apparatus. The number of volunteers willing to serve in the Russian military has increased.
Ukraine had attempted to improve its negotiating position and stop the Russian offensive in the Donbass, but the offensive continues. Moscow will achieve its war goals, Putin said. "The main task of the Ministry of Defense is to expel the enemy from our territory," he explained. "The enemy will undoubtedly receive a worthy response."
Internally, the situation in the Kremlin is reportedly much tenser. According to reports by the "Moscow Times", the Ukrainian offensive was "a shock for the Russian military and the Kremlin". The Kremlin-critical newspaper quotes an official who spoke of a "heavy slap in the face for the President". In his estimation, the army is not capable of "pushing the opponent back". Putin is said to be "in a bad mood", as he has not been seen since the forced withdrawal from the Ukrainian region of Kherson in the autumn of 2022.
121,000 people evacuated
According to the acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, Ukrainian troops have taken control of 28 settlements. The Ukrainian army has advanced 40 kilometers wide and about 12 kilometers deep into Russian territory. So far, 121,000 people have been evacuated due to the offensive. Another 60,000 people are still in the districts that need to be evacuated for security reasons, the governor said further. According to Russian reports, at least 12 civilians have been killed and 121 injured on the Russian side, and the whereabouts of 2,000 people are currently unknown.
Meanwhile, the German Federal Government stated that it had not been informed in advance about the Ukrainian incursion. "There are contradictory and sometimes deliberately falsified information about the operation that was apparently prepared very secretly and without feedback. Everything looks like a spatially limited operation so far," said Wolfgang Buechner, the deputy government spokesman.
The military situation on the ground is still very fluid, he said. "It would therefore be unwise to make public statements, comment or evaluate the current military development from a green table, or to comment on the use of specific weapons systems," Buechner said, after there were unconfirmed reports of the use of German weapons. Buechner also said that there is an intensive exchange with closest partners and the government in Kyiv.
Following the unexpected attack on Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk border region, President Putin viewed this as a deliberate attempt to destabilize Russia by Kyiv. Subsequently, Putin condemned the move, stating that Ukraine had failed in its attempt to destabilize his country.
