In light of events regarding Ukraine’s unexpected intrusion into Russian territory, the situation has significantly progressed. An unexpected manoeuvre carried out by Ukraine’s armour and infantry on August 6th involved an incursion into Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions, mobilising thousands of soldiers equivalent to 14 brigades. Kiev and Moscow have acknowledged the operation commencing in unclear circumstances.
This past Monday, Ukraine’s chief military officer, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that roughly 1,000sq km of the region was currently under Ukrainian control. This statement aligns with reassurances given from the Russian side. Earlier this week, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, addressed Vladimir Putin and reported that 28 Russian settlements, incorporating towns and villages located inside Russian territory at a distance of up to 30km, were dominated by Ukrainian forces. Reportedly, 121,000 individuals from Kursk and 11,000 from Belgorod have been compelled to vacate their residences.
Would Ukraine have met any opposition forms?
Ukraine, which has previously initiated various small-scale intrusions and disruptive targets within Russian borderline regions, caught Moscow unexpectedly with the magnitude of this intrusion and initially struggled with retaliation.
Moscow announced a comprehensive counter operation in Kursk and two other border regions in response. According to a statement from the Russian ministry of defence last week, Russian forces were engaging with Ukrainian forces in the villages of Tolpino, Zhuravli and Obshchy Kolodez. The ministry also claimed that Russian forces had successfully stopped an attempt by Ukrainian mobile groups to extensively invade Russian territories near Kauchuk.
Belarus, Russia’s ally, declared an increase in their own troop presence at their border after accusing Ukraine of infiltrating their airspace using drones.
What is Ukraine aiming to achieve?
While the incursion is shrouded in secrecy with the endgame yet to be disclosed, Ukraine’s advance places its forces within closer proximity to vital supply chains within Russia, supporting Moscow’s ongoing Eastern Ukraine offensive.
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, described the incursion as a strategy devised “to pressurise the belligerent Russia” and shift “the war into the belligerent’s realm”. Zelenskiy argued that the thousands of airstrikes launched from Russia’s Kursk region against Ukraine’s territory deserved an appropriate counteract.
Putin opined that the assault seemed to indicate Kyiv’s strategy to develop a more advantageous position in prospective negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict. He further speculated that Ukraine might have anticipated that the attack would catalyse civil upheaval within Russia, but such expectations were not met. Putin stated that, in fact, the onslaught led to a surge in the number of individuals volunteering for the Russian military.
Humming the tune of national security, Putin communicated that Russia’s primary objective was to repel the adversary from its lands and, in unison with the border security force, guarantee a solid defence of their national frontier.