Ukraine claims controls around 8,000 square kilometers of Russian territory following a surprise offensive—the largest attack on Russian soil since World War II. This has prompted a swift response from President Vladimir Putin, who has sent tank and troop reinforcements to the Kursk region. He accuses Ukraine of sowing unrest and trying to gain leverage before any possible peace talks.
Thousands of people are moving to safer areas as Ukrainian troops seize control of dozens of Russian villages. Reporting to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the governor of Kursk said that Ukraine had expanded its area of control. The situation in the Kursk region is difficult, with 28 settlements under enemy control. There is no clear front line, and the problem lies in understanding where the enemy combat units are located. Around 1,000 Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border last week into the Kursk region with tanks and armored vehicles. They have now advanced into neighboring Belgorod. Ukraine claims it controls about 1,000 square kilometers—an area larger than New York City—in the Kursk region.
The surprise attack exposed the weakness of Russian border defenses in the area. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who acknowledged the incursion over the weekend, stated that Ukraine would offer humanitarian assistance to evacuees on the Ukrainian side of the border. The Russian army is scrambling to contain the breach and has been forced to call in reserves. It has released images of what it claims are strikes on Ukrainian tanks in Kursk. Putin asserts that Moscow’s army will prevail and accuses the West of fighting Russia through the hands of the Ukrainians. The enemy, he says, will receive a decent response, and all Russian goals will be achieved.
Russian volunteers are distributing humanitarian aid to evacuees arriving at temporary accommodations, making them painfully aware of the impact of a war that Putin has tried to shield them from.
