So far, Ukraine has defended itself in its own country, but now it is taking the war to Russia, the country of the aggressor. But it is still unclear whether the deployment of valuable troops is worth the risk.
For the third day in a row, the Ukrainian army has pushed forward its surprise offensive across the border into the Russian region of Kursk and gained ground. The Russian civilian authorities in Kursk and the Ministry of Defense in Moscow officially announced that the Ukrainian advance had been halted. However, the Russian military blog Rybar, which is close to the ministry, painted a different picture: According to the report, the Ukrainians continued to advance, brought in reserves during the night and began to fortify their positions.
The Russian reaction to the cross-border offensive was slow. A state of emergency was declared in the Kursk region, where thousands of people are fleeing. The railway stations in the border towns of Sudzha, Korenovo and Psel were closed to passenger traffic, the railway directorate in Moscow announced. The injured from the Kursk region, especially children, were taken to hospitals in the capital. From there, doctors traveled to the contested area.
Blog sees western Sudzha under Ukrainian control
The Defense Ministry in Moscow announced that the Ukrainian troops had been prevented from advancing thanks to the deployment of border troops, deployed reserves, air strikes and artillery fire. The military blog Rybar reported that the western part of the small town of Sudzha was under Ukrainian control. Fighting was taking place for the east of the town. The Ukrainians had also advanced further north towards Anastasejewka and northeast towards Korenowo.
However, according to local reports, there is no Ukrainian presence in Sudzha itself. Only shooting and artillery fire have been reported north and west of the city. According to unconfirmed reports, Ukrainian reconnaissance units have also advanced towards the Kursk nuclear power plant and have been spotted near Anastaseyevka.
Experts from the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) confirmed based on information on social networks that Ukrainian troops had advanced at least ten kilometers into the area. Officially, Ukraine remained tight-lipped about the advance into enemy territory, which began on Tuesday. The offensive was not mentioned in the morning report from the General Staff. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the presentation of a mobile phone app for the military: “The Ukrainian army can surprise. And it can achieve results.”
Russian gas exports are running normally
There is a gas measuring and compressor station near Sudzha, which is important for Russian gas exports to the west and is presumably in the hands of the Ukrainians. Despite this, the Russian gas company Gazprom reported only a slight decrease in transit. The company said that it expects to transit a daily amount of around 37.3 million cubic meters of natural gas. This is five percent less than the previous day, the Russian state news agency Tass reported. From Sudzha, the transit leads through Ukraine and on to Slovakia and Austria. In 2023, 14.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to the European Union this way, despite the ongoing war.
While previous advances from Ukrainian territory into Russia have only involved irregular units, this time, according to all reports, regular Ukrainian troops are advancing with tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft defenses. The move across the border represents a change in Kiev’s war strategy. Until now, it has focused on recapturing or defending its own territory, and Russian territory has been attacked from the air with its own drones and missiles. Most Western arms suppliers have restricted the use of their weapons to Russian military targets in Ukraine.
However, the EU saw the move as covered by the right to self-defense. “We believe that Ukraine is waging a legitimate defensive war against illegal aggression,” said a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Brussels. Self-defense also includes the right to attack the enemy on its territory. The EU supports Ukraine’s efforts to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty and to combat Russia’s illegal aggression.
Moment of surprise on the side of Ukraine
The aim of the advance remains a mystery, as Ukraine actually needs the troops to stabilize the crumbling front in the Donetsk region. On the other hand, the attack gives it the element of surprise. Ukraine may want to force Russia to regroup its forces after Moscow recently gained ground in the Donbass and pushed Kiev’s troops onto the defensive. There is also ongoing discussion that Ukraine wanted to forestall a Russian attack on its Sumy region. Russia opened a new front near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in May.
“At a time when Ukrainian defenders in the east are being pushed back in several sectors, the deployment of capable combat troops in Kursk is either a brilliant counterattack to shift the balance of the war or a strategic mistake,” wrote US expert and former general Mick Ryan on the X network.
Moscow military observers, however, said that the Ukrainian attack on Russian territory, allegedly with weapons from NATO countries, had increased the motivation of the Russian population to continue the war. Russian state television showed how waves of aid were rolling in from many parts of the country to support the people in Kursk.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
