9-8-2024 (MOSCOW) Russian troops are engaged in a fierce struggle to repel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, as one of the largest cross-border incursions of the ongoing conflict enters its third day, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday.
The ministry reports that Russian military and border guards have successfully halted Ukrainian forces from penetrating deeper into the southwestern region of Russia. Concurrently, the Russian army is said to be launching counterattacks against Ukrainian fighters attempting to advance from Ukraine’s Sumy region.
“We are effectively suppressing attempts by individual units to breach deep into our territory in the Kursk direction,” the ministry stated, emphasising the ongoing nature of the conflict.
While the Russian authorities claim to have contained the incursion, reports from the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, suggest that Ukrainian troops may have advanced as far as 15 kilometres into Russian territory. However, this information remains unconfirmed by official sources.
A large fire ???? is occurring in Rylsk in the Kursk Region, 27km from Ukraine ????????
Reportedly, a Russian column was destroyed at night
Rylsk would be a key target for Ukraine to cut off most Russian logistics going to the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region. It’s within HIMARS range pic.twitter.com/UqXGSeg4q2
— Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) August 8, 2024
The Ukrainian government has maintained silence regarding the incursion. In his nightly video address on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made no direct mention of the Kursk situation. Instead, he emphasised that “Russia brought the war to our land, and it should feel what it has done,” hinting at potential retaliatory actions.
The conflict has taken a toll on civilian life in the region. Kursk’s acting governor, Alexei Smirnov, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that at least five civilians, including two ambulance workers, have been killed. The Russian Health Ministry further stated that 66 civilians, including nine children, have been wounded in the three days of fighting.
Putin, who described the incursion as a “large-scale provocation” involving “indiscriminate shelling of civilian buildings,” was briefed on the situation by his top military and security officials on Wednesday. General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, claimed that about 100 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and more than 200 wounded in the battle. These figures, however, cannot be independently verified.
The cross-border foray represents one of Ukraine’s largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022. Analysts suggest that Kyiv’s aim could be to draw Russian reserves to the area, potentially weakening Moscow’s offensive operations in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
However, this strategy carries risks for Ukraine, potentially stretching its already outmanned troops further along the extensive front line. Even if Russia were to commit reserves to stabilise the new front, given its vast manpower, the long-term impact of the operation may be limited.
Myhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to President Zelenskyy, suggested that such border region attacks will cause Russia to “start to realise that the war is slowly creeping inside of Russian territory.” He also hinted that such operations could improve Kyiv’s position in potential future negotiations with Moscow.
