Photo: Genya Savilov Agence France-Presse “Russia has brought war to our country and should feel” its effects, Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address, without directly mentioning this incursion.
Agence France-Presse in kyiv
Published and updated on August 8
- Europe
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russia, the target of a major incursion by Ukrainian troops into the Kursk border region for the third day in a row, must in turn “feel” the consequences of the invasion it launched in February 2022.
More than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers, accompanied by a dozen tanks and twenty armored vehicles, entered the region on Tuesday, according to the Russian general staff, which said it was doing everything it could to push them back across the border.
However, this contingent appears to have gained ground, seizing several square kilometers by catching Russian forces off guard, while kyiv has kept almost total silence on the operation.
“Russia has brought war to our country and should feel” its effects, Mr. Zelensky said in his evening speech, without directly mentioning this incursion.
Becoming a “legitimate target”
His adviser Mykhailo Podoliak also claimed that this surprise offensive was a consequence of Russian “aggression” in Ukraine, without clearly attributing it to Kiev’s forces.
“From now on, a large part of the international community considers Russia a legitimate target for operations of any type and with any weapon,” he added, while many Western countries have banned Ukraine from using the weapons they supply to strike Russian territory.
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The day before, on Ukrainian television, Mr. Podoliak had judged that, in order to obtain something from Moscow at “the negotiating table”, the conflict should not follow “the scenario” established by the Russians.
The United States, Kiev's main supporter, repeated on Thursday that it “firmly supports Ukraine's efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression”, without commenting on the details of the situation. The day before, Washington had indicated that it had questioned the Ukrainian authorities to understand the “objectives” of this incursion of unprecedented scale.
A complicated situation for Russia
“The operation to destroy Ukrainian army formations is continuing,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday, assuring that it was preventing them from “penetrating deeply” into the region.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000It published videos filmed by drones and showing, according to it, the destruction of Ukrainian soldiers and vehicles that had penetrated the Kursk region.
While the official Russian communication is intended to be reassuring – the regional authorities still spoke on Thursday of a “stable and under control” situation – the picture painted by military experts is more alarming for Russia.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which is based in the United States, estimated in its latest report that the Ukrainians had advanced up to ten kilometers deep and crossed “at least two lines of defense” Russians.”
According to several analysts, Ukrainian soldiers have reached Sudja, a Russian town of about 5,500 inhabitants located about ten kilometers from the border and which is home to a gas hub still supplying Europe via Ukraine.
Photo: Telegram account of the governor of Kursk Agence France-Presse The governor of the Russian region of Kursk published on his Telegram account this photo of a building damaged by strikes attributed to the Ukrainian army in the town of Sudja.
Residents evacuated from the city reported a difficult situation there, according to images released by the Russian LDPR party, which is helping to welcome the displaced.
“The situation is bad… There is no communication” with those left behind, said Alexei, an ambulance driver from Sudja who is waiting to receive humanitarian aid.
Another man, also named Alexei, a volunteer, said the evacuees “feel abandoned.”
Telegram channels of Ukrainian military observers have broadcast unverified drone footage of what are said to be Russian soldiers surrendering.
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin appeared visibly angry on Russian television, denouncing a “large-scale provocation” by Ukraine and accusing it of indiscriminately striking civilian buildings.
Dozens of injured
Although the extent of the Ukrainian military advance is unclear, the giant Gazprom assured on Thursday that it would continue to deliver its gas daily, as usual, via Sudja.
This gas then transits through Ukraine, notably to Slovakia and Hungary.
The authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Kursk region and they claim that at least 5 civilians have died there, in addition to 66 injured, including 9 children. Around 3,000 people have already been evacuated.
In the neighbouring Russian region of Belgorod, two people were killed and another injured on Thursday in Ukrainian strikes, according to the governor.
On the Ukrainian side, according to the authorities, at least five civilians died on Thursday in Russian bombings, including two in the region of Sumy (north) which faces the Russian region of Kursk.
In kyiv, Ukrainians interviewed by Agence France-Presse on Thursday expressed their enthusiasm for this incursion into Russian territory.
“Let's make Muscovites understand what war is,” said Volodymyr Borodyansky, a tourist industry employee.
The Ukrainian incursion into Russia comes as the Russian army has been making advances in various parts of the front for several months, particularly in the eastern region of Donetsk.