Russia declared a “federal-level” emergency in the Kursk region following a large-scale incursion from Ukraine and sent reinforcements there on Friday, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops crossed the border.
Russia evacuated citizens from the Kursk region on Friday following the incursion of Ukrainian armed forces into its territory.
Moscow said a “federal level” emergency situation in the region on Friday, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops crossed the border in what appeared to be Kyiv’s largest attack on Russian soil since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
In addition, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced the establishment ofa regime of anti-terrorist operations in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions. This decision was taken “due to the increase in sabotage acts and terrorist threats from Ukraine,” according to Russian authorities.
According to the Kremlin, the Russian military and border guards prevented Ukrainian forces from penetrating deeper into the country.
Authorities also said that Ukrainian fighters trying to advance into the area from Ukraine’s Sumy region were being pushed back.
According to Russia, Ukrainian advances in the border area have been halted about 500 kilometers southwest of Moscow. However, Military bloggers and open source data indicate that Ukrainian troops have advanced in several areas of Kursk.
The fighting in Kursk has received considerable attention in Russian media. Much of the coverage has focused on the humanitarian situation: children are being taken to shelters on buses and people from other Russian regions are gathering food, diapers and other supplies to send to Kursk.
About 20 temporary shelters housing more than 1,200 people are said to have been set up in Kursk. As people flee the fighting, more shelters will open.
The raid caught the Russians off guard
Little reliable information has leaked out about the audacious Ukrainian operation, and its strategic goals are not always clear. Senior Ukrainian officials have declined to comment on the incursion, which is taking place about 500 kilometers southwest of Moscow.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, says Ukrainian forces have continued their “rapid advance” in the Kursk region, pushing up to 35 kilometers across the border.
“The lack of a coherent Russian response to the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region … and the speed of the Ukrainian advance indicate that Ukrainian forces were able to achieve operational surprise,” the think tank said last Thursday.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the attacks on the border regions would make Russia “start realizing that the war is slowly creeping into Russian territory.” Mykhailo Podoliak also suggested that the operation would improve Kyiv’s position in the event of negotiations with Moscow.
Asked about Ukraine’s incursion, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the United States was “in contact with our Ukrainian counterparts” but would not comment until “those conversations are complete.”
Mathieu Boulegue, a defense analyst at the Chatham House think tank in London, said the Ukrainians appear to have a clear objective, even if they are not saying what it is.
“Such a coordinated movement of ground forces has a clear military objective,” Boulegue told The Associated Press by telephone. In addition, the raid has frightened Russian public opinion and dealt a snub to Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving Ukraine “a big public relations coup,” he added.
The attack “is a massive symbol, a massive show of force (showing) that the war is not frozen,” he said.
Russian strike on shopping mall in eastern Ukraine
Also on Friday, Russian troops bombed a supermarket in the Kostiantyvnivka region, causing a fire. Reports indicate that at least 14 people were killed and 44 injured as a result of the shelling.
Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said there were 50 people inside the store at the time of the attack.
Mr Filashkin described the attack as a targeted attack on a busy location and another “act of terror” by Russian forces.
Additional sources • Meduza, adaptation: Serge Duchêne