Russia is fighting with additional troops against Ukrainian advance in Kursk
The surprisingly large-scale offensive by Ukrainian forces in the Russian region of Kursk continued for the fourth consecutive day. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Friday that troops equipped with rocket launchers, artillery, tanks, and heavy trucks were being sent to Kursk.
According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, Russian troops continued to repel a "Ukrainian force attack". Russian positions near the western edge of the city of Sudja, about eight kilometers from the border, were reportedly hit.
The Institute for War Studies (ISW) based in the USA reported on Friday, citing geotagged photos, that Ukrainian units had "advanced rapidly" and "penetrated up to 35 kilometers from the Russian border". The ISW had previously reported "up to ten kilometers". However, the ISW noted that Ukrainian forces did not "definitely" control the entire area.
According to Russian army reports, Ukrainian units have been conducting an offensive in the Kursk region for several days. According to reports from Moscow, this involves "up to a thousand" Ukrainian soldiers, as well as more than two dozen tanks and armored vehicles. The Russian Ministry of Health reported that 66 civilians were injured in the offensive.
According to both Ukrainian and Russian reports, the Ukraine has also targeted the neighboring region of Lipetsk. Russian state media and local authorities reported a fire at a military airport in Lipetsk on Friday morning, which the General Staff of the Ukrainian army later claimed responsibility for, stating that "depots of guided bombs and other facilities" were hit.
Russian authorities reported a "massive" drone attack and a fire at a military airport, as well as damage to an electricity plant. Governor Igor Artamonov issued evacuation orders for four settlements on the outskirts of Lipetsk. Preliminary reports suggest that at least six people were injured in the attack, Artamonov said later. He also announced that the red alert status for the city had been lifted. Lipetsk is about 330 kilometers from Kursk.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense shot down a total of 75 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula. 26 were intercepted over the Belgorod border region, seven over Kursk, 19 over the Lipetsk region, and 13 over the Crimea. Seven marine drones heading towards the Crimea were also destroyed.
Ukrainian officials have not yet directly commented on the Ukrainian army's advance in the Kursk region. However, President Zelensky said in his daily address on Thursday evening that Russia had brought the war to Ukraine, and now it should "feel what it has done".
Some observers believe that the Ukrainian advance in Kursk aims to occupy Russian territory to gain a better position in future peace negotiations.
In the Russian attack on a supermarket in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, about 13 kilometers from the front, nearby residential buildings were also damaged, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. AFP journalists reported dozens of people fleeing. Black smoke rose from the supermarket, with police cordoning off surrounding streets. Drones and intensified artillery fire were also heard in the area.
Zelenskyy declared on the Telegram messaging service that Russia would be held accountable for the daytime attack. The Ukrainian regional governor of Donetsk, Vadym Lysychenko, described the attack as "another targeted strike on a crowded location."
Kostyantynivka, with a pre-war population of around 67,000, is located near the front in the industrial Donetsk region and is almost daily shelled by the Russian army.
Meanwhile, in the Ukrainian region of Sumy, adjacent to the Russian Kursk, the Russian shelling continued, according to local authorities. On Friday, the police issued an evacuation order for around 20,000 people in 28 settlements in the region. Local security forces are deployed to assist with the operation, the police said.
In response to the Ukrainian advance, Russia reinforced its forces in Kursk with additional tanks and heavy vehicles for propulsion. Despite the reinforcements, the Institute for War Studies in the USA reported that Ukrainian units had made significant progress, advancing deeper into Russian territory.
