Russian forces have been engaged in a fierce battle with Ukrainian troops since August 6, following a significant incursion by Ukraine into the Kursk region of Russia, marking one of the largest attacks on Russian soil since the conflict began two years ago. According to Russian officials, approximately 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, supported by tanks, armored vehicles, drones, and artillery, crossed the Russian border in a well-coordinated early morning assault.
The intense conflict has centered around the town of Sudzha, a critical junction where Russian natural gas pipelines enter Ukraine, fueling fears of potential disruptions to Europe’s energy supplies. The attack represents a stark escalation nearly two and a half years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin described the Ukrainian offensive as a “major provocation.” Sergei Mironov, a leader of a Kremlin-aligned political party, labeled the assault a “terrorist attack” and “the invasion of an internationally recognized foreign territory.”
In response to the crisis, the regional acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, reported that thousands of local residents had been evacuated due to the ongoing military actions. Meanwhile, the White House has distanced itself from the situation, stating that the United States, Ukraine’s principal supporter, had no prior knowledge of the attack and is in the process of seeking further information from Kyiv.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces, along with the Federal Security Service (FSB), had managed to stop the Ukrainian advance and were actively engaged in combat within the Kursk region. “Units of the Northern group of forces, together with the FSB of Russia, continue to destroy armed formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Sudzhensky and Korenevsky districts of the Kursk region, directly adjacent to the Russian-Ukrainian border,” the ministry stated.
The Ukrainian military has not officially commented on the operation. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy commended the Ukrainian forces for their capacity “to surprise” and produce effective outcomes, though he did not specifically mention the Kursk offensive.
Reports from Russian bloggers indicate that Ukrainian forces are advancing toward the Kursk nuclear power station, located approximately 60 kilometers northeast of Sudzha. This facility, a relic of the Soviet era, plays a vital role in powering a substantial region of southern Russia.