Kyiv has destroyed a key bridge over the Syem river during its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, as Vladimir Putin was forced to redeploy more troops to respond.
Videos shared on social media showed the bridge near Glushkovo collapsing, cutting off part of the local district and an important route used by Russia to send critical supplies for its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have now advanced up to 15 miles into Russia’s Kursk region, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
Russia’s defensive lines in Kursk were “not prepared to respond to a multi-battalion assault force,” according to the MoD.
Using British tanks, Ukraine has taken hundreds of square miles of Russia’s Kursk region since launching their audacious incursion on 6 August.
In a bid to slow down the attack, Russia is believed to have transferred “several thousand” troops from the frontline in northeast Ukraine, according to US officials.
“Russia is unlikely to pull entire fighting units from eastern Ukraine but could redirect troops that were meant to reinforce the front lines in Donetsk,” the Institute for the Study of War wrote.
Key Points
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Ukraine’s counter invasion destroys key bridge in Russia
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Videos of Ukraine’s Russia incursion reveal secrets of surprise attacks in modern warfare
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Ukraine claim to capture 102 Russian soldiers in Kursk attack
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Ukraine seize largest town in Russia yet
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British tanks used in Russia incursion
Ukraine’s counter invasion destroys key bridge in Russia
06:32 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine’s troops invading Russian border villages have destroyed a key bridge over the Syem river used by the Kremlin to send its troops critical supplies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s incursion and capture of land in Russia’s Kursk region could eventually lead to a swap deal for Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow.
The latest attack on the bridge near the Russian town of Glushkovo has cut off part of the local district, according to reports.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a key Zelensky adviser, said the counter incursion’s main aim was to get Moscow back on the negotiation table.
“In the Kursk region, we can clearly see how the military tool is being used objectively to persuade Russia to enter a fair negotiation process,” he posted on X.
Ukraine’s Russia incursion will provide negotiation leverage, Zelensky adviser says
07:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive incursion into villages at the Russian border will help bring Moscow to the negotiation table, Mykhailo Podolyak, a top Ukrainian presidential adviser said on X.
“In the Kursk region, we can clearly see how the military tool is being used objectively to persuade Russia to enter a fair negotiation process,” he said, adding that Moscow would face “significant tactical defeats” from Ukraine’s incursion.
The move would also influence public opinion within Russia, the presidential advisor believes.
“An important tool is also the influence on public opinion within Russia, which is beginning to change when the war has come deep into their territory,” Mr Podolyak said.
“Negative changes in the psychological state of the Russian population will be another argument for the start of negotiations,” he said.
Kremlin says Western rockets destroyed key bridge in Russia
07:30 , Athena Stavrou
Russia’s foreign ministry said Ukraine had used Western rockets – likely US-made HIMARS – to destroy a key bridge over the Seym river in the Kursk region.
“For the first time, the Kursk region was hit by Western-made rocket launchers, probably American HIMARS,” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said late on Friday on the Telegram messaging app.
“As a result of the attack on the bridge over the Seym River in the Glushkovo district, it was completely destroyed, and volunteers who were assisting the evacuated civilian population were killed.”
Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday that Kyiv’s forces were advancing between 1 and 3 kilometre in some areas in the Kursk region, 11 days since beginning an incursion into Russia.
Kyiv has claimed to have taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometres in the region since Aug 6.
Reuters could not independently verify either side’s battlefield accounts.
Russia has accused the West of supporting and encouraging Ukraine‘s first ground offensive on Russian territory and said Kyiv’s “terrorist invasion” would not change the course of the war.
The United States, which has said it cannot allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the war he launched in February 2022, so far deems the surprise incursion a protective move that justifies the use of U.S. weaponry, officials in Washington said.
Disarray in Putin’s military command exposed by Ukraine’s attack in Russia, says Zelensky’s chief adviser
07:00 , Tom Watling
Disarray in Putin’s military command exposed by Ukraine attack, says Zelensky adviser
Ukraine’s offensive into Russia in photos
06:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Here are some of the latest photos from the Ukrainian border with Russia
06:00 , Tom Watling
Russia expanding shadow fleet to evade Western oil sanctions – report
05:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Russia is increasing the number of its secret fleet of oil ships to evade Western sanctions, according to a Ukrainian think tank.
Moscow has added 74 new oil ships to its existing fleet since the beginning of this year from about 300 under-the-radar ships operating since the beginning of 2023, according to The KSE Institute, a think tank within the Kyiv School of Economics.
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to detect such dark ships from satellite imagery.
“To put additional pressure on Russia’s ability to finance its war of aggression against Ukraine, we urge coalition governments to designate additional shadow fleet vessels,” the think tank said.
“Their removal would represent significant sunk costs while forcing Russia to rely more heavily on mainstream fleet ankers, which fall under the price cap,” it added.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
05:00 , Tom Watling
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Videos of Ukraine’s Russia incursion reveal secrets of surprise attacks in modern warfare
04:41 , Vishwam Sankaran
A video circulated on social media from official and unofficial accounts shows about 100 Russian soldiers being taken prisoner in Kursk as Ukraine’s forces push deeper into Russia with surprise and secret attacks.
Footage shows Ukrainian troops raising flags over border villages and their military vehicles rolling down Russian streets.
Videos reveal that the buildup of troops and equipment in Russia caught the Kremlin off guard as tight-lipped Russian officials attempted to conceal the extent of their failure.
Russia’s defence ministry said about 300 Ukrainian soldiers along with nearly a dozen tanks and armoured vehicles were attacking two villages close to Kursk.
Britain keeps poking the Russian Bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
04:00 , Tom Watling
Britain keeps poking the Russian Bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
Head of Nobel-winning rights group says Russia sliding back toward Stalinist times under Putin
03:00 , Tom Watling
Head of Nobel-winning rights group says Russia sliding back toward Stalinist times
Putin’s greatest fear is coming true – and he’s panicking
02:00 , Tom Watling
Putin’s greatest fear is coming true – and he’s panicking | Mark Almond
Ukraine plans ‘buffer zone’ inside Russia’s Kursk region, says Kyiv colonel
01:00 , Tom Watling
Ukraine plans to create ‘buffer zone’ inside Russia, says Kyiv colonel
Zelensky confirms more weapons for Ukraine as Kyiv strikes Putin’s airfields
Saturday 17 August 2024 00:00 , Tom Watling
Zelensky confirms more weapons for Ukraine as Kyiv strikes Putin’s airfields
Military expert: Kyiv aiming to maximise Kursk offensive while Russia does same in Ukraine’s east
Friday 16 August 2024 23:06 , Jabed Ahmed
Analysts have said that distracting Russian forces from the east was one of the aims of Ukraine‘s Kursk operation. But so far there was no indication of letup in the east.
Russian forces were 10 kilometres from the outskirts of Pokrovsk and about 6 kilometres from nearby Myrnohrad, according to local officials.
“If the objective was to divert the Russian effort from the Donbas, it’s failed so far,” said Yohann Michel, a French military expert and research fellow at the IESD Institute in Lyon, France.
He said Kyiv was aiming to maximise the effect of the Kursk offensive while Russia was trying to do the same in Ukraine‘s east.
“It’s probably the first one who will blink who will have to stop his own offensive,” he said.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was “not for a second” forgetting about the east and promised fresh weapons deliveries – over what was planned – to strengthen the positions.
Ukraine’s next president? Vitali Klitschko film explores boxer’s journey into politics and war
Friday 16 August 2024 23:00 , Tom Watling
Ukraine’s next president? The intriguing threads in Vitali Klitschko film
Satellite photos show how Ukraine’s gamble on an incursion deep into Russia changed the battlefield
Friday 16 August 2024 22:00 , Tom Watling
Satellite photos show Ukraine’s gamble on a move into Russia changed the battlefield
Kremlin accuses the West of helping Ukraine attack Russia
Friday 16 August 2024 21:38 , Jabed Ahmed
An influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the West and the US-led NATO alliance had helped to plan Ukraine’s surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region, something Washington has denied.
The lightning incursion, the biggest into Russia by a foreign power since World War Two, began on 6 August when thousands of Ukrainian troops crossed Russia’s western border in a major embarrassment for Putin’s military.
Ukraine said the incursion was needed to force Russia, which sent its forces into Ukraine in February 2022, to start “fair” peace talks.
But the United States and Western powers, eager to avoid direct military confrontation with Russia, said Ukraine had not given advance notice and that Washington was not involved, though weaponry provided by Britain and the U.S. is reported to have been used on Russian soil.
Influential veteran Kremlin hawk Nikolai Patrushev dismissed the Western assertions in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.
“The operation in the Kursk region was also planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services,” he was quoted as saying, without offering evidence.
“Without their participation and direct support, Kyiv would not have ventured into Russian territory.”
The remarks implied that Ukraine’s first acknowledged foray into sovereign Russian territory carried a high risk of escalation.
Facts about Russian town of Sudza claimed by Ukraine as part of its incursion
Friday 16 August 2024 21:00 , Tom Watling
Facts about Russian town of Sudza claimed by Ukraine as part of its incursion
Russia summons Italian ambassador over journalists reporting from Kursk
Friday 16 August 2024 20:29 , Jabed Ahmed
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said it had summoned Italy’s ambassador in Moscow over what it said was “illegal border crossing” by a team of correspondents from Italian state broadcaster RAI, who reported from Ukrainian-held parts of Russia’s Kursk region this week.
In a statement published on its website, the foreign ministry said: “A strong protest was expressed to the Ambassador in connection with the actions of the film crew of Italian state television and radio company RAI, which illegally entered the territory of the Russian Federation.”
RAI on Wednesday aired the first foreign media report from the Russian town of Sudzha, which was taken in the opening stages of Ukraine‘s offensive against Russia last week.
The Italian crew appeared to be working under Ukrainian military escort, and broadcast footage of the war-damaged town.
Earlier on Friday, Baza, a Telegram channel close to Russian law enforcement, reported that the country’s interior ministry was planning to open criminal cases against two RAI journalists for illegally crossing the Russian border.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Friday 16 August 2024 20:00 , Tom Watling
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Ukraine’s army chief: forces advance 1-3 km in Russia’s Kursk region
Friday 16 August 2024 19:24 , Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine‘s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said that Kyiv’s forces were advancing between one and three kilometres in some areas in Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukraine has said it has taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometres (444 square miles) in the region after it launched a major cross-border attack on 6 August.
Briefing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy via video link, Syrskyi reported fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, some 11.5 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
“In general, the situation is under control, everything is carried out following the plan,” Syrskyi said in a video published by Zelenskiy on Telegram.
He said he hoped the fighting near Malaya Loknya would allow the Kyiv military to capture “many prisoners”.
British tanks used to drive back Putin’s forces during Ukraine’s attack in Russia
Friday 16 August 2024 19:00 , Tom Watling
British tanks used to drive back Putin’s forces during Ukraine’s Russia incursion
Ukraine destroys bridge in Russia’s Kursk region, hindering evacuations, TASS reports
Friday 16 August 2024 18:29 , Jabed Ahmed
Ukrainian forces have destroyed a bridge over the Seym River in Russia’s Kursk region, hindering civilian evacuations by land, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported citing local security services.
A mass evacuation is underway in the Glushkov district, home to 20,000 people, following a swift Ukrainian incursion into the region.
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Friday 16 August 2024 18:00 , Tom Watling
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Ukraine sends humanitarian aid to occupied part of Russia’s Kursk region, interior minister says
Friday 16 August 2024 17:49 , Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine has set up storage facilities in its northern region of Sumy to hold and send humanitarian aid to Russian civilians in the Kyiv-held part of Russia’s western region of Kursk, the interior minister has said.
Ukraine has said it has taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometres (444 square miles) in the region after it launched a major cross-border attack on 6 Aug.
“The citizens abandoned by Russia are mostly elderly people, people with disabilities, and families with children. They need food, water and medicine,” minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
He didn’t specify how many of the storage facilities had been set up, or where they are, but a video posted on the ministry’s Telegram account showed a large inflatable tent and Ukrainian military personnel carrying parcels and packing food.
During a trip to the Sumy region, which borders Russia’s Kursk region, Klymenko said about 150 food parcels had been sent to civilians in the area.
Kyiv officials have said they plan to create evacuation corridors from the Kursk region and to open access to international humanitarian missions.
Russia has called the Ukrainian incursion a “major provocation” and vowed to retaliate with a “worthy response”, more than 2-1/2 years since it launched a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour.
Britain keeps poking the Russian Bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
Friday 16 August 2024 17:00 , Tom Watling
Britain keeps poking the Russian Bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
Civilians in Kursk wait for humanitarian aid
Friday 16 August 2024 16:00 , Tom Watling
Ukraine advancing up to 15 miles into Russia, says MoD
Friday 16 August 2024 15:30 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin chairs Russia Security Council meeting on Kursk region
Friday 16 August 2024 15:00 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin has chaired a security council meeting in Moscow to discuss the Ukrainian incursion into the Russian Kursk region.
During the meeting, he said the discussion would focus on “new technical solutions” being employed in the military operation.
Bulidings destroyed in Russia’s Kursk region
Friday 16 August 2024 14:30 , Tom Watling
Croatia to reintroduce compulsory military draft as regional tensions soar
Friday 16 August 2024 14:00 , Tom Watling
Croatia to reintroduce compulsory military draft as regional tensions soar
Civilians urged to evacuate Pokrovsk as Russian troops approach
Friday 16 August 2024 13:30 , Tom Watling
Military authorities in the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk have urged civilians to speed up their evacuation because the Russian army is quickly closing in on what has for months been one of Moscow’s key targets.
Authorities said in a Telegram post that Russian troops are “advancing at a fast pace. With every passing day there is less and less time to collect personal belongings and leave for safer regions”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned on Thursday that Pokrovsk and other nearby towns in the Donetsk region were “facing the most intense Russian assaults”.
“Priority supplies – everything that is needed – are being sent there,” Mr Zelensky said on X.
Ukraine’s operation in Kursk needed to convince Russia to start fair talks, Kyiv says
Friday 16 August 2024 12:55 , Tom Watling
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said on Friday that Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was required to convince Moscow to start “fair” peace talks.
Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine had no interest in occupying Kursk but it had to force Russia to start talks on Kyiv’s terms.
“We need to inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia,” Podolyak wrote on Telegram. “In the Kursk region, we clearly see how the military tool is objectively used to convince the Russian Federation to enter into a fair negotiation process.”
Ukraine mounted a cross-border assault on Russia last week and occupied part of the Kursk region.
Senior Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said Ukraine‘s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected in any peace agreement.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls about 18 per cent of its territory.
The Ukraine incursion has called Putin’s bluff – and rightly damaged his reputation
Friday 16 August 2024 12:15 , Tom Watling
The Ukraine incursion has got Russia – and Putin – running scared
Ukraine’s swift push into the Kursk region shocked Russia and exposed its vulnerabilities
Friday 16 August 2024 11:34 , Tom Watling
Ukraine’s swift push into the Kursk region shocked Russia and exposed its vulnerabilities
We have some photos from the frontline in east Ukraine
Friday 16 August 2024 11:04 , Tom Watling
Facts about Russian town of Sudza claimed by Ukraine as part of its incursion
Friday 16 August 2024 10:45 , Tom Watling
Facts about Russian town of Sudza claimed by Ukraine as part of its incursion
Russia relocating ‘several thousand troops’ from occupied Ukraine to Kursk
Friday 16 August 2024 10:25 , Tom Watling
Russia appears to be moving “several thousands troops” from the northeast Ukrainian region to Kursk to try to stabilise Kyiv’s surprise attack.
Multiple US officials told US outlet CNN that they have observed multiple brigade-sized elements made up of at least 1,000 troops being shifted to defend the Kursk incursion.
“It is apparent to us that Putin and the Russian military are diverting some resources, some units, towards the Kursk region to ostensibly counter what the Ukrainians are doing,” US national security council spokesperson John Kirby said.
Ukraine plans ‘buffer zone’ inside Russia’s Kursk region, says Kyiv colonel
Friday 16 August 2024 09:56 , Tom Watling
Ukraine plans to create ‘buffer zone’ inside Russia, says Kyiv colonel
Kyiv spotlight searches for Russian drones – picture
Friday 16 August 2024 09:24 , Tom Watling
Ukraine’s next president? Vitali Klitschko film explores boxer’s journey into politics and war
Friday 16 August 2024 08:49 , Tom Watling
Ukraine’s next president? The intriguing threads in Vitali Klitschko film
Ukraine claim to capture 102 Russian soldiers in Kursk attack
Friday 16 August 2024 08:30 , Tom Watling
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine has told reporters that special forces have captured a group of more than 100 Russian soldiers.
The 102 servicemen of Russia’s 488th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment and its “Akhmat” unit are the largest group of soldiers to be captured in one go since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
“They captured and cleared a sprawling, concrete and well-fortified company stronghold from all sides – with underground communications and personnel accommodation, a canteen, an armoury and even a bathhouse,” the source said.
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Friday 16 August 2024 08:15 , Tom Watling
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Ukraine downs all Russia-launched drones during overnight attack, air force says
Friday 16 August 2024 07:55 , Tom Watling
Ukraine shot down all five Russia-launched drones during an overnight attack, the country’s air force has said.
Russian forces also used three ballistic Iskander-M missiles during the attack, according to the air force’s statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia used three Shahed-type drones and two drones of an identified type for the attack, it said.
Reuters previously reported that Russia turned to using cheaply-made drones in some of its attacks on Ukraine to try to identify air defences and act as decoys.
The governors of Kyiv and Kirovohrad regions reported no damage or casualties following the attack.
Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine
Friday 16 August 2024 07:46 , Tom Watling
Below we have some of the latest photos from Ukraine in its northeast region of Sumy, which is being used as a staging post for the incursion into Russia.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Friday 16 August 2024 07:24 , Tom Watling
As Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk enters its 11th day, below we point you towards an interview The Independent did earlier this week with president Volodymyr Zelensky’s top advisor on the ultimate objectives of the assault.
Mykhailo Podolyak described the incursion as a “military tool of coercion to force Russia into the negotiation process”.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Why can’t Ukraine use Britain’s power Storm Shadow missiles in incursion
Friday 16 August 2024 06:30 , Alex Ross
It has emerged that British Challenger 2 tanks are being used in Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia.
The Ukraine’s have permission from the Ministry of Defence to use UK weapons on Russian soil as part of Kyiv’s self-defence.
The only exception is Britain’s powerful Storm Shadow missiles, which remain off limits beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said it would be difficult for Britain to authorise without sign-off from other allies.
“The use of Storm Shadows is not entirely independent from other nations’ capabilities,” he said. “With missiles, all missiles, you have to use data, GPS, intelligence, targeting etc. That means that sometimes the use of missiles like Storm Shadows is more collaborative than Ukraine being able to unilaterally use them.”
He added: “You might want to say to Ukraine, ‘Yeah, you can use them,’ but if country B says they cannot use their equipment, then you can’t use them,” he added.
Kyiv takes full control of Russian town of Sudzha, says Zelensky
Friday 16 August 2024 06:23 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian troops have taken full control of Sudzha, the largest Russian town to fall to Ukraine‘s forces since the start of their cross-border incursion more than a week ago, Volodymyr Zelensky announced yesterday.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was setting up a military command office in Sudzha, which suggests that Ukraine might plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term – or just signal Moscow that it may intend to do so. He didn’t elaborate on what functions the office might handle, though he said earlier this week that Ukraine would be distributing humanitarian aid to Sudzha residents.
Although it had a prewar population of only around 5,000 people, Sudzha is the administrative centre for the border area of Russia’s Kursk region and is larger than any of the other towns or settlements that Ukraine says it has taken since the incursion began on 6 August.
Russia didn’t immediately respond to Kyiv’s claims, but its defence ministry said earlier yesterday that Russian forces had blocked Ukrainian attempts to take several other communities. The surprise Ukrainian incursion has reframed the war and caused chaos in the Kursk region, leading to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities, and the capture of at least 100 Russian troops, according to Kyiv. Mr Zelensky has said one of the reasons for the incursion was to protect neighbouring Ukrainian regions.
“The more Russian military presence is destroyed in the border regions, the closer peace and real security will be for our state. The Russian state must be responsible for what it has done,” he said earlier this week.Russia has seen previous raids of its territory in the war, but the Kursk incursion is notable for its size, speed, the reported involvement of battle-hardened Ukrainian brigades, and the length of time they have stayed inside Russia.
As many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops are involved, according to Western military analysts. The incursion also marks the first time foreign troops have invaded and held Russian territory since Nazi Germany did in the Second World War.
Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin vow deeper ties
Friday 16 August 2024 06:07 , Arpan Rai
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed a pledge to deepen cooperation with Russia in a message to president Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang marked an anniversary of independence from Japan’s colonial rule, KCNA state news agency reported today.
It was in reply to a message of congratulations from Mr Putin on the 15 August liberation day anniversary where the Russian leader said the bond forged as Soviet soldiers fought against Japan continues to serve as the basis of their ties, KCNA said.
“The friendly feelings of the armies and peoples of the two countries forged and deepened in the bloody struggle against the common enemy serve as a strong driving force for developing… relations of friendship and cooperation into comprehensive strategic partnership and invincible comradeship,” the North Korean leader said.
The remarks came amid accusations by South Korea, Ukraine and the US that Mr Kim is helping Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying rockets and missiles in return for economic and other military assistance from Moscow.
Russian MP claims Ukrainian incursion could lead to global war
Friday 16 August 2024 06:01 , Arpan Rai
A Russian parliamentary deputy has claimed the “Western-backed” Ukrainian incursion has brought the world close to an all-out global war, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia’s Kursk region on 6 August and have since advanced significantly, forcing Moscow to evacuate over 200,000 people from their homes.
“Considering the presence of Western military equipment, the use of Western ammunition and missiles in attacks on civilian infrastructure and irrefutable proof of foreigners’ participation in the attack on Russian territory, one could come to the conclusion that the world is on the brink of a third world war,” RIA quoted deputy Mikhail Sheremet as saying.
Sheremet, who is a member of the Russian parliament’s defence committee, echoed Putin by saying that Nato countries had given a green light to the incursion plans, a charge Washington has denied.
This comes amid remarks from Putin’s aide, Nikolai Patrushev today who accused the West of being behind the attack, in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.
He claimed that the Nato and Western intelligence agencies were involved in planning the Kursk operation, although he provided no evidence.
Ukraine and its allies say Russia is receiving assistance in its war effort from China, Iran and North Korea.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Friday 16 August 2024 05:40 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s surprise attack inside Russia is the only way to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as part of a “psychological” tactic to win the war, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief adviser has told The Independent.
In its most successful move of the two-and-a-half-year conflict, Kyiv has captured more Russian land in the past seven days than Moscow has taken in Ukraine all year.
Mykhailo Podolyak, the top aide to the Ukrainian president, said the incursion had shown Russians the harsh realities of Vladimir Putin’s war.
“We need to use absolutely clear tools to coerce Russia [into negotiation]. One of them is a military instrument of coercion.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
British tanks ‘at the forefront of enabling Ukraine to defend itself’ – Sir Ben Wallace
Friday 16 August 2024 05:30 , Alex Ross
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has hailed the use of British Challenge 2 tanks at the “forefront of enabling Ukraine to defend itself from [Mr Putin’s] illegal invasion”.
He was optimistic about the impact the tanks will have, saying: “If the weapons we supply make a difference in protecting their self-defence, Britain should be satisfied that they are being used.”
British tanks used to drive back Putin’s forces during Ukraine’s Russia incursion
Lukashenko urges Russia and Ukraine to end war as Kursk incursion continues
Friday 16 August 2024 05:15 , Arpan Rai
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said Russia and Ukraine should negotiate an end to their conflict to avoid the war spilling over into Belarus.
In his propagandistic claim as repeated by his ally Vladimir Putin, Mr Lukashenko said that the West was encouraging Kyiv to fight because it wants Ukraine and Russia to “destroy each other”.
“Let’s sit down at the negotiating table and end this brawl,” he said. “Neither the Ukrainian people, nor the Russians, nor the Belarusians need it. They (the West) need it.”
Belarus was used as a launching ground in the Russian invasion in February 2022. Moscow has said any peace talks should be based on Ukraine ceding land amounting to a fifth of its territory – much of it seized by Russian forces. Ukraine says Kyiv would be prepared for talks provided Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected.
Mr Lukashenko charged that the West was betting that the destabilising situation in Kursk would encourage a troop mobilisation in both Belarus and Russia and “shake up society from within.”
“We don’t want escalation and we don’t want a war against the whole of Nato. We don’t want that,” he said.
But if Ukraine does provoke Belarus, Lukashenko cautioned, “we’ll have no other choice.” The Belarusian leader has positioned himself as a main backer of Putin since the Russian president ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, part of which was staged from Belarusian soil.
Mr Lukashenko referred to the conflict as a “common war” of Belarus and Russia against “those beasts” – Kyiv and its Western allies – and said Moscow would “back us up” if Belarus was attacked.
His comments come as the Ukrainian incursion into Russia expanded further this week. It began last week on Tuesday when thousands of Kyiv’s troops smashed through Russia’s western border in a major embarrassment for Putin’s top military brass.
People evacuated from Russia’s Belgorod region
Friday 16 August 2024 04:30 , Alex Ross
Pictures have been issued by the Russian Emergencies Ministry of people evacuated from the Belgorod region after a federal level emergency was declared.
The region, next to Kursk, has already come under attack this year from Ukraine, and now, according to Russian state news agency TASS, 11,000 have been evacuated this week.
Two killed, 12 injured in Russian bomb attacks on Kharkiv
Friday 16 August 2024 04:28 , Arpan Rai
Russian guided bomb attacks killed at least two people and injured 12 others in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, local authorities said.
The strike hit a civilian enterprise in Kupiansk district, the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram.
A warehouse caught fire as a result of the strike, the regional prosecutors said on Telegram, adding that six employees were injured.
Six more people, including a 12-year-old child, were wounded in the Zolochiv village when Russian forces dropped two bombs, the regional police said on Telegram.
Administrative buildings, a kindergarten, and over 20 private homes were damaged in this attack, the police added.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the surrounding region have long been targeted by Russian attacks, and Moscow troops have for months been pummelling Ukraine‘s border regions with highly destructive guided bombs.
Ukraine touts capture of large group of soldiers inside Russia
Friday 16 August 2024 04:19 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian special forces captured a group of more than 100 Russian soldiers during Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk said yesterday.
“We conducted a sophisticated operation, as a result of which 102 Russians were captured. We are already thinking in perspective how to make the most of this – to bring our defenders home,” he said on Telegram referring to a possible prisoner swap.
The 102 servicemen of Russia’s 488th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment and its “Akhmat” unit are the largest group of soldiers to be captured at the same time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, a source in the SBU said.
“They captured and cleared a sprawling, concrete and well-fortified company stronghold from all sides – with underground communications and personnel accommodation, a canteen, an armoury and even a bathhouse,” the source said.
Where is Sudzha?
Friday 16 August 2024 03:30 , Alex Ross
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his country’s troops had taken full control of Sudzha, the largest Russian town to fall to Ukraine‘s forces since the start of their cross-border incursion more than a week ago.Although it had a prewar population of only around 5,000 people, Sudzha is the administrative centre for the border area of Russia’s Kursk region and is larger than any of the other towns or settlements that Ukraine says its forces have taken since the incursion began on 6 August.Zelensky said Ukraine‘s military was setting up a command office in Sudzha, which suggests that Ukraine might plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term — or just signal Moscow that it may intend to do so.
He didn’t elaborate on what functions the office might handle, though he said earlier that Ukraine would be distributing humanitarian aid to Sudzha residents.
Zelensky’s reason for the launching surprise incursion on Kursk region
Friday 16 August 2024 02:30 , Alex Ross
The surprise Ukrainian incursion has reframed the war and caused chaos in the Kursk region, leading to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities, and the capture of at least 100 Russian troops, according to Kyiv.Volodymyr Zelensky has said one of the reasons for the incursion was to protect neighboring Ukrainian regions. “The more Russian military presence is destroyed in the border regions, the closer peace and real security will be for our state. The Russian state must be responsible for what it has done,” he said Tuesday.Russia has seen previous raids of its territory in the war, but the Kursk incursion is notable for its size, speed, the reported involvement of battle-hardened Ukrainian brigades, and the length of time they have stayed inside Russia. As many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops are involved, according to Western military analysts.The incursion also marks the first time foreign troops have invaded and held Russian territory since Nazi Germany did in the Second World War
Putin’s greatest fear is coming true – and he’s panicking
Friday 16 August 2024 15:26 , Tom Watling
Putin’s greatest fear is coming true – and he’s panicking | Mark Almond
Kursk incursion is a ‘massive gamble’
Friday 16 August 2024 01:30 , Alex Ross
Military commentators have been analysing the impact of Ukraine’s surprise incursion on the Kursk region on the ongoing war.
Among them is Polish military expert Konrad Muzyka, who said apart from a reputational blow to President Vladimir Putin, the biggest invasion of Russia since World War Two had destroyed Russian forces, captured soldiers who can be traded and created a sore on Russia’s flank.
However, he also warned that trying to hold a swathe of Russian land could open up Ukrainian forces to potentially heavy losses, pointing to manpower problems that have dogged Ukraine for months in its war with a much larger foe.
The counter-invasion was “a massive gamble” that in the short term was paying off, Muzyka said.
“But there may soon come a time when costs associated with the attack in the Kursk region will outweigh the benefits, especially given the steady pace of Russian advances in the Donetsk region,” he said.
What next?
Friday 16 August 2024 00:30 , Alex Ross
As Ukraine’s forces continue the incursion into Russian territory, many are speculating how far they will be able, or want, to go.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s top commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kyiv had set up a military commandant’s office in the occupied part of Russia’s Kursk region where he said his forces were still advancing.
It is the strongest sign yet that Kyiv’s forces plan to dig in after launching a lightning cross-border assault.
Serhiy Zgurets, a Kyiv-based military analyst, predicted Ukraine would seek to retain control of the land between the towns of Rylsk, Korenevoye and Sudzha and the border, giving it control of a roughly 20-km-wide strip of Russian territory.
The area, he said, could be defended by a small force using long-range artillery systems and air defences.
“This line is not difficult to defend, given there are few roads and a large number of rivers,” Zgurets said, adding that the area could be easily supplied from the Ukrainian region of Sumy across the border.
He said he didn’t expect troops to press towards the Russian regional capital of Kursk, something that could expose them to attacks from the flanks.
Russia to toughen defences
Thursday 15 August 2024 23:30 , Alex Ross
Russia has acknowledged that Ukrainian forces were still on the attack, adding it would beef up its border defences, improve command and control and send in additional forces.
“The enemy is pushing, it is trying to get through from everywhere, push through,” said Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces who are fighting in Kursk. “But every day the enemy’s forces are melting.”
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said the general staff had prepared a series of measures to defend Russia’s border regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod – which cover an area the size of Portugal.
Heavy fighting continues on eastern front
Thursday 15 August 2024 22:30 , Alex Ross
While all international focus seems to be on Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region of Russia, there appears to be no sign of fighting elsewhere.
On Ukraine’s eastern front, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported the heaviest fighting in weeks near the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub.
Syrskyi told Zelenskiy in his report by video link that the situation in the east and south where Russia has already captured swathes of the country was “difficult but under control”.
“The main efforts are focused on preventing the enemy from advancing in the directions of Toretsk and Pokrovsk, inflicting maximum losses, and creating favourable conditions for further actions,” he said.
How much territory has Ukraine taken in Russia?
Thursday 15 August 2024 21:30 , Alex Ross
Ukrainian forces have captured hundreds of square miles of territory inside Russia in one of the most significant incursions into Russia since the Secind World War.
Thousands of Ukrainian troops smashed over the border from Ukraine’s Sumy region into the neighbouring Russian Kursk region on 6 August.
Since then, Kyiv’s forces have claimed to have taken more land in just over a week than Russia has in Ukraine during this entire calendar year.
It is the largest foreign attack on sovereign Russian territory since the Second World War.
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Ukraine seize largest town in Russia yet
Thursday 15 August 2024 20:19 , Alex Ross
Volodymyr Zelensky has said his troops have full control of the Russian town of Sudzha.
It is the largest town Ukraine has seized so far in the war, with a population of around 5,000, and it is home to a measuring station for Russian natural gas that flows through pipelines to Europe.
It’s another sign of the advancement into Russia since the surprise attack on 6 August.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces had taken over 82 settlements since the start of the incursion, and a total area of 440 square miles (1,150 sq km).
British tanks used to drive back Putin’s forces during Ukraine’s attack in Russia
Thursday 15 August 2024 19:29 , Alex Ross
British tanks have been used to force back Vladimir Putin’s troops during Ukraine’s audacious incursion into Russia.
Defence chiefs have hailed the contribution of Challenger 2 tanks, saying they are playing a crucial role in Volodymyr Zelensky’s startling tactic of using troops on Russian soil after years of defensive combat.
It is the first time UK tanks operated by Ukrainian troops have been used in combat on Russian territory, and comes as the incursion into the Kursk region expands as it enters a second week.
British tanks used to drive back Putin’s forces during Ukraine’s Russia incursion
US-Russian dual national convicted of treason
Thursday 15 August 2024 18:00 , Alex Ross
A US-Russian dual national has been convicted of treason in a Russian court and sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine.
Ksenia Khavana was identified by Russian authorities by her maiden name of Ksenia Karelina, was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February and pleaded guilty in a closed trial last week, news reports said.
Khavana, a 33-year-old former ballet dancer, reportedly obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles.
She had returned to Russia to visit her family.She reportedly had her phone confiscated after arriving in Yekaterinburg in January and police found evidence on the phone of the donation.
Soon before her planned departure, she was jailed for 15 days on petty hooliganism charges and then charged with treason.
Russia’s Federal Security Service said she “proactively collected money in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons, and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.”
Rise in entries for A-levels in Russian
Thursday 15 August 2024 17:29 , Alex Ross
Ukrainian refugees may be fuelling a rise in entries for A-level Russian, it has been suggested.
A-level exam data shows there were 1,044 entries for the subject this summer, up from 827 in 2023 – a 26% increase.
It means that entries for the subject are now at their highest level since 2018, when the number stood at 1,160.
Sir Ian Bauckham, Ofqual’s chief regulator, said: “It’s difficult to be precise about why exactly you see changes in these lesser taught languages, but I think we can all imagine that some Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK over the last couple of years – many of whom are proficient in Russian – may have chosen to enter A-level Russian, and done that using their school or college as an exam centre.
“So it’s likely that that kind of change is behind the changes that you see in entry figures for subjects like Russian.”
Teenagers who came to the UK when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 with knowledge of Russian are likely to have started A-level courses in the autumn of that year and would be receiving their results this summer – two years later, which is the usual length of an A-level course.
Ukraine says it has set up a military office in occupied Kursk region
Thursday 15 August 2024 13:43 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine’s top commander says Kyiv has set up a military commandant’s office in the occupied Kursk region of Russia.
Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces have taken up to 1.5km (0.93 miles) of territory in the region in the last 24 hours – and are still advancing.
Mr Syrskyi told Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video published by the Ukrainian leader that Kyiv’s forces had advanced 35km (21.7 miles) into the Kursk region since launching its attack last week.
The Ukraine incursion has called Putin’s bluff – and rightly damaged his reputation
Thursday 15 August 2024 13:00 , Alexander Butler
The Ukraine incursion has got Russia – and Putin – running scared
Ukraine is ‘provoking and poking’ Russia to use nuclear weapons, Russian MP says
Thursday 15 August 2024 12:30 , Alexander Butler
A Russian MP has insisted that the Ukraine is ‘provoking and poking’ her country to use ominous nuclear weapons threats.
Maria Butina appeared on Newsnight, insisting that Ukraine’s goal was to “escalate the conflict”, and that any ‘captured’ Russian territory would quickly be taken back.
“Russia will do everything to protect its territory”, she said. “They’re attacking nuclear plants…yes, they’re provoking a nuclear conflict..they have no understanding of what it’s going to be.”
“By trying to get PR points from the West, they actually put in danger the whole world.”
Ukraine is ‘provoking and poking’ Russia to use nuclear weapons, Russian MP says
UK ministry of defence statement on British tanks in Russia
Thursday 15 August 2024 11:52 , Alexander Butler
“There has been no change in UK government policy, under Article 51 of the UN Charter Ukraine has a clear right of self-defence against Russia’s illegal attacks, that does not preclude operations inside Russia.
“We make clear during the gifting process that equipment is to be used in line with international law.”
Russia sentences ballerina to 12 years in jail for donating £40 to charity
Thursday 15 August 2024 11:07 , Alexander Butler
A Russian-American ballerina has been jailed for 12 years in Russia for donating £40 to a charity supporting Ukraine.
Ksenia Karelina pleaded guilty at her closed trial in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where her case was heard by the same court that convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage in July.
Her supporters say she had donated £40 to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based charity that provides humanitarian aid to children and elderly people in Ukraine
Russia sends forces of its Eastern military district to Mongolia for drills
Thursday 15 August 2024 10:30 , Alexander Butler
Russia has sent forces of its Eastern military district to Mongolia to participate in joint drills, state news agency TASS said on Thursday, quoting the defence ministry.
Moscow, currently fighting a 10-day-old incursion by Ukrainian forces into western Russia, has continued to stage joint military exercises with foreign partners throughout the Ukraine war.
British tanks used in Russia incursion
Thursday 15 August 2024 10:12 , Alexander Butler
British tanks have been used by Ukrainian troops in their cross-border assault into Russia just over a week ago, The Independent understands.
British Challenger 2 tanks were used during the shock Ukrainian incursion, according to a UK source, in the first time they have been rolled out on Russian territory.
The UK agreed to give Ukraine 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks in January 2023 in a move that prompted Germany and the United States to follow suit with their versions.
Pictured: Ukrainian troops on the frontline
Thursday 15 August 2024 10:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine denies involvement in Nord Stream damage
Thursday 15 August 2024 09:48 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak denied his country’s involvement in explosions which damaged the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and instead pointed the finger at Russia in comments to Reuters on Thursday.
“Such an act can only be carried out with extensive technical and financial resources… And who possessed all this at the time of the bombing? Only Russia,”
Pictured: Russian fighter jets damaged after Ukraine drone strike
Thursday 15 August 2024 09:30 , Alexander Butler
Satellite images show the devastating impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on an airfield in Russia.
Four air bases were hit in a massive Ukrainian drone strike in the early hours of Wednesday morning, including the Borisoglebsk Air Base.
Russia offers £1,300 salary to dig trenches in Kursk
Thursday 15 August 2024 09:29 , Alexander Butler
Russian authorities have appealed for citizens to apply for jobs which involve digging trenches in Kursk.
Avito, a Russian job site, posted the listings with a salary 150,000-371,000 rubles (around £1,300-£3,200).
A second job listing details “round the clock” working involving “digging trenches” on the “second line of defence”.
“We provide: Three meals a day; All necessary tools; Work clothes; Transportation to the place of work at the expense of the company,” one advertisement read.
Exclusive: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Thursday 15 August 2024 09:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine’s surprise attack inside Russia is the only way to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as part of a “psychological” tactic to win the war, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief adviser has told The Independent.
In its most successful move of the two-and-a-half-year conflict, Kyiv has captured more Russian land in the past seven days than Moscow has taken in Ukraine all year.
Ukrainian forces have steadily advanced across the border into the Kursk region, taking over towns and villages and forcing hundreds of thousands of ordinary Russians to flee their homes.
Ukraine: Our plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Fortifications show Putin ‘concerned’ about advance
Thursday 15 August 2024 08:35 , Alexander Butler
Russian troops have hastily built fortifications miles north of Ukraine’s frontline in Kursk in a sign Vladimir Putin is “concerned” about Kyiv’s advance, a US think tank said.
New satellite images from Maxar show a series of field fortifications – including trenches and anti-vehicle ditches – have been built in the Lgov area.
The Institute for the Study of War said this suggests the Russian military was “concerned about potential continued and rapid Ukrainian mechanised northward advances”.
Russia offers up to $4,000 for digging trenches in Kursk
Thursday 15 August 2024 08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The Russian government is offering between $1,600 (£1,246) and $4,000 (£3,115) for digging trenches in the Kursk region in an effort to deter Ukraine’s military advancement, CNN reported.
Moscow posted online advertisements for job vacancies for trench diggers as Ukrainian officials yesterday said they controlled 1,000 sq km of Russian territory.
Satellite images show Russian forces have dug trenches nearly 45-50km from the border with Ukraine, with the furthest point being near Kursk.
Ukraine gambled on an incursion deep into Russian territory. The bold move changed the battlefield
Thursday 15 August 2024 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine’s stunning incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region was a bold gamble for the country’s military commanders, who committed their limited resources to a risky assault on a nuclear-armed enemy with no assurance of success.
After the first signs of progress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky broke his silence and spelled out Kyiv’s daily advances to his war-weary public. By Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said they controlled 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of enemy territory, including at least 74 settlements and hundreds of Russian prisoners of war.
But a week after it began, the overall aim of the daring operation is still unclear: Will Ukraine dig in and keep the conquered territory, advance further into Russian territory or pull back?
What is clear is that the incursion has changed the battlefield. The shock of Ukraine’s thunder run revealed chinks in the armor of its powerful adversary. The attack also risked aggravating Ukraine’s own weaknesses by extending the front line and committing new troops at a time when military leaders are short on manpower.
To conduct the Kursk operation, Kyiv deployed battalions drawn from multiple brigades, some of which were pulled from the hottest parts of the front line, where Russia’s advance has continued unabated. So far, Moscow’s overall strategic advantage is intact.
“The stretching of the front line for us is also stretching the front line for the enemy,” said the commander of the 14th Regiment of Unmanned Drones, who uses the call sign Charlie, after he participated in the opening stage of the offensive.
“Only we have prepared for this operation in detail. The Russians were not prepared for this operation at all.”
As the offensive enters its second week, Ukrainian forces are pushing out in several directions from the Russian town of Sudzha.
Images from the battlefield showing columns of destroyed Russian weaponry are reminiscent of Ukraine’s successful counteroffensives in 2022 in Kherson and Kharkiv. The photos are also a boon to national morale that deflated after the failed 2023 summer counteroffensive and months of recent territorial losses in the east.
But some analysts are reserving judgment on whether the Kursk region is the right theater to launch an offensive. Estimates of the number of troops operating there range from 5,000 to 12,000.
Within a week, Ukraine claimed to have captured almost as much Russian land in Kursk as Russian forces took in Ukraine in the last seven months, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
Russian authorities acknowledged the Ukrainian gains but described them as smaller. Even so, they have evacuated about 132,000 people.
Hundreds of Russian prisoners were blindfolded and ferried away in trucks in the opening moments of the lightning advance. They could be used in future prisoner swaps to free thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in captivity.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the fighting in Kursk had lead his Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, to initiate a conversation about prisoner swaps, the first time such a request has come from Moscow.
Politically, the incursion turned the tables on Russia and reset the terms of a conflict in which Ukraine increasingly seemed doomed to accept unfavorable cease-fire terms. The strike was also a powerful example of Ukrainian determination and a message to Western allies that have dithered on allowing donated weapons to be used for deeper strikes inside Russian territory.
The assault has shown that the fear of crossing Russian “red lines” that could lead to nuclear escalation “is a myth, and that Ukraine’s battle-hardened military remains a formidable force,” wrote Taras Kuzio, a professor of political science at the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak suggested that the incursion may also strengthen Kyiv’s hand in future negotiations with Russia. Occupying part of Russian territory ahead of any cease-fire talks may give Ukraine some leverage.
Though the fighting continues, the territory currently under Ukrainian control is, by itself, of little economic or strategic value.“There is some important gas infrastructure in the area, but its usefulness is likely to be limited other than as a minor bargaining chip. Ukrainians have also cut a railway line running from Lgov to Belgorod,” said Pasi Paroinen of the Black Bird Group, a Finland-based open-source intelligence agency that monitors the war.
Major military bases are far from the current area of operations, and Ukrainian advances are expected to slow as Russia sends in more forces.
Ukrainian officials have said they do not intend to occupy Kursk, but they may seek to create a buffer zone to protect settlements in the bordering Sumy region from relentless Russian artillery attacks and to block supply lines to the northeast.
Forcing Russia to deploy reserves intended for other parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line was the minimum aim, said Charlie, the commander. But so far, Moscow’s focus in the Donetsk region has not changed.
Some Ukrainian troops were pulled from those very lines, where manpower shortages were a key factor that contributed to territorial losses this year.In the strategically significant Pokrovsk area, which is the main thrust of Russia’s offensive effort, soldiers have seen few improvements since the Kursk incursion.
“Nothing has changed,” said a soldier known by the call sign Kyianyn. “If anything, I see the increase in Russian offensive actions.”But the Kursk operation “showed they can’t defend their own territory,” he said. “All of us are inspired here. Many of our soldiers wanted to go to Kursk and push them straight to the Kremlin.”
Targeting Russia’s Northern Grouping of Forces, which feeds the Kharkiv front, is a key goal, said Konstantin Mashovets, a Ukrainian military expert. Some Russian units have reportedly moved from Vovchansk in Kharkiv.
In the south, a small number of Russian units were redeployed from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, said Dmytro Lykhovii, the spokesperson of the Tavria operational group. But that hasn’t affected Russian attacks.
“We even see an increase in (Russian) activity,” Mr Lykhovii said.The Kursk operation has also served to draw attention away from the eastern front, where tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and wounded, and where the Ukrainian military has struggled to repair cracks in its defenses.
Most territorial losses in June and July were recorded in the Pokrovsk area, which is near a logistics hub, with fighting intensifying near the towns of Toretsk and Chasiv Yar.
Russian forces dialed up those attacks to capitalize on troop fatigue and shortages. On many occasions, the losses were the result of poorly timed troop rotations and blunders that cast doubt about the overall strategy of the Ukrainian military’s General Staff.
“There is no way Russia will stop its actions in the parts of the front line where they are tactically succeeding,” Mr Mashovets said.
“There, they will push and squeeze until their last man is standing, no matter what.” But the push into Kursk might force the Kremlin to pull reserves “from the parts of the front line that are of secondary importance.”
Zelensky confirms more weapons for Ukraine
Thursday 15 August 2024 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed more weapons for Ukrainian forces as Kyiv continues its strikes into Putin’s airfields.
He met with government officials yesterday to discuss support for military actions in the Kursk region.
In a video message posted on X, Mr Zelensky said: “Our Ukrainian drones are working exactly as needed.
“However, there are things that drones alone cannot achieve, unfortunately. We need other weapons—missile systems.”
Watch here.
Zelensky confirms more weapons for Ukraine as Kyiv strikes Putin’s airfields
Nearly 200,000 forced to flee
Thursday 15 August 2024 07:00 , Alexander Butler
Nearly 200,000 Russians have been forced to evacuate border regions near the site where, during World War Two in 1943, the Red Army defeated Nazi forces in one of the world’s biggest-ever tank battles.
Mr Putin said Ukraine “with the help of its Western masters” was aiming to improve Kyiv’s negotiating position ahead of possible peace talks.
Mr Zelensky has said the incursion is meant to pressure Russian forces and “restore justice” after Russia’s invasion.
Russia racing against time to dig trenches in Kursk
Thursday 15 August 2024 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia has been digging trenches in Kursk to prevent the Ukrainian troops from advancing further into Vladimir Putin’s territory, satellite images show.
Ukrainian troops have pushed into the Kursk region of Russia, just north of their border, in the most extensive incursion by Kyiv’s forces in the 30-month-long war.
Russian forces have dug trenches nearly 45-50km from the border with Ukraine to deter the military advance. “The farthest point is near Kursk, 75km from the border,” Independent Russian news outlet Agentstvo reported.
The “trenches appeared at the intersection, which was passed by convoys of Russian equipment sent to the Kursk region on Friday”, it added.
Russian forces are rapidly digging a network of trenches in Kursk Oblast, with only one catch:
The trenches are 45km behind the border.
Russian forces have been developing a trench network that, if fallen back to, would cede Ukraine a massive amount of territory. pic.twitter.com/dXje3n1qn8
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 14, 2024
Russia intensifies attacks in eastern Ukraine
Thursday 15 August 2024 06:00 , Alexander Butler
Russia intensifies attacks in eastern Ukraine as it fights against Kyiv’s cross-border incursion
Ukraine takes more than 100 Russian prisoners
Thursday 15 August 2024 05:32 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian troops have taken more than 100 Russian prisoners during their cross-border advance into Russia, military commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested the prisoners will eventually be swapped for Ukrainian prisoners of war, referring to them as an “exchange fund”.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereschuk, said yesterday that the military plans to open humanitarian corridors that would allow civilians in Ukraine-controlled areas of the Kursk region to head elsewhere in Russia or into Ukraine.
Zelensky says Ukraine’s advance will create a buffer zone
Thursday 15 August 2024 05:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine says its territorial gains in Russia will provide a strategic buffer zone to protect its own border areas from Russian attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he met top officials to discuss the humanitarian situation and establishing a military commandant’s offices “if needed” in an occupied area that Kyiv says exceeds 1,000sq km.
“We continue to advance further in Kursk,” Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, adding: “from one to two km in various areas since the start of the day”.
He suggested the growing number of Russian prisoners of war taken in Kursk could be exchanged for Ukrainian fighters.“Our advance in Kursk is going well today – we are reaching our strategic goal. The ‘exchange fund’ for our state has also been significantly replenished.”
Watch: Fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as Ukrainian troops advance into Russia
Thursday 15 August 2024 05:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian soldiers ambush truck filled with Russian troops
Thursday 15 August 2024 04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian soldiers have ambushed a truck filled with Russian troops as they continue their Kursk offensive.
Bodycam footage shows Ukrainian soldiers in pursuit of Vladimir Putin’s soldiers with grenades and guns.
A military vehicle also bursts into flames with plumes of black smoke sent billowing up into the air.
Watch here.
Ukrainian soldiers ambush truck filled with Russian troops
Russia orders evacuation of thousands from Kursk region
Thursday 15 August 2024 04:13 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Authorities in Russia’s Kursk region have decided to evacuate the population of its Glushkov district, acting governor Alexei Smirnov said, amid the continued advance of Ukrainian forces into the border region.
Police and other state bodies would coordinate to evacuate 20,000 people from the district directly bordering Ukraine, Mr Smirnov said on the Telegram.
Ukraine said yesterday its cross-border invasion had advanced one to two kilometres into the Kursk region since the start of the day and that its troops had finished clearing the Russian border town of Sudzha of Moscow’s forces.
Russian officials have said that nearly 200,000 people were being evacuated following the attack.
Are cheap holidays on offer because Russians can’t travel outside their country?
Thursday 15 August 2024 04:00 , Alexander Butler
Are cheap holidays on offer because Russians can’t travel outside their country?
More Russians are urged to flee Ukraine’s cross-border attack as the Kremlin scrambles to respo
Thursday 15 August 2024 03:00 , Alexander Butler
More Russians are urged to flee Ukraine’s cross-border attack as the Kremlin scrambles to respond
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