The Ukrainian Armed Forces during an offensive in the Kursk region took control ofGazprom’s gas station in the town of Sudzha. This was reported by The Washington Post with reference to an adviser to the President of Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops fought for the third day in a row on Thursday in the Kursk region of Russia, occupying villages and part of the city. This was the largest border crossing since the Kremlin ‘ s invasion in 2022.
US, Ukrainian, and Russian officials confirmed the attack , which stunned Moscow and appeared to involve and appeared to involve the use of armored vehicles provided to Kyiv by the United States and its European partners. This was a development that did not raise immediate objections from the Biden administration, despite previous restrictions on the use of American weapons.
The surprise attack on Kursk, about 530 kilometers south of Moscow, appears to have been intended to bring the war into Russian territory, where many are not directly affected by the conflict, which has destroyed many Ukrainian towns and villages and forced millions of people to flee their homes. It could also have been an attempt to divert Russian troops from other parts of the front, where the Ukrainian army has been gradually losing ground in recent months. Analysts have suggested that Kyiv may be trying to gain leverage for possible future negotiations with the Kremlin.
Although previous offensives into Russian territory have been led by volunteer groups, opposed to President Putin but not officially affiliated with the Ukrainian armed forces, the attack appears to involve several thousand troops, including some elite assault brigades equipped with U.S. and German equipment and tanks. According to Russian officials and pro-Russian military bloggers, they crossed the border on Tuesday from Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine.
The Biden administration said on Thursday, that the operation was an acceptable use of U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia, in line with a policy change introduced in May that allows Ukrainian commanders to pursue targets in Russia, if Russian forces are preparing to attack Ukraine.
“When they see attacks coming across the border, they need to be able to respond,” – Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters at a briefing.
German officials expressed a similar position. A defense ministry spokesman told The Washington Post, that Berlin’ s goal is”to support Ukraine in its defense struggle against the Russian aggressor.” and pointed to previous statements confirming Ukraine’s right under international law to defend itself against these attacks.
An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who, like some other officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, confirmed Ukraine’s military activity on Russian territory and said that Ukrainian troops had seized about 100 square kilometers. This claim could not be independently verified.
In three days, according to Zelenskyy’ s advisor, the Ukrainian military passed by towns with thousands of residents, captured hundreds of people and seized a gas metering station, which Russia uses for energy transactions with Hungary and Slovakia.
Videos published by Russian telegram channels appear to show shows Western military equipment near the Ukrainian border in Kursk , describing them as part of the invasion. The footage shows at least one American Stryker armored vehicle and a German Marder combat vehicle on the Russian side of the border. Ukrainian forces appear to have marked their equipment for the Kursk operation with white triangles. The Washington Post was unable to independently confirm the time of the video.
A dronevideo posted on Instagram by a Ukrainian military regiment appears to show Russian soldiers in Kursk surrendering. Representatives of the Ukrainian units believed to be fighting in Kursk refused to comment on the situation, noting that operational secrecy plays into their hands.
The Sumy region of Ukraine has been repeatedly bombed by Russian troops firing from across the border. Although Western countries, including the United States, allowed Ukraine to use the transferred weapons to intercept or prevent attacks originating in Russia, the attack on Kursk was the first known instance when US officials used the same justification for a ground offensive across the border.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Russia had launched attacks on Ukraine from the Kursk region, and that the United States supports Kyiv’ s right to self-defense. “In the area where they are operating, we have seen attacks coming from there,” Miller added.
According to Russian military bloggers, Kyiv’s forces have advanced 10 km into Russian territory. The acting governor of Kursk region, Aleksey Smirnov, said that dozens of civilians were wounded.
Although the exact purpose of the Ukrainian invasion is unclear, analysts speculate that, in addition to potentially diverting Russian troops from the eastern region of Donbas, Kyiv may be trying to gain leverage in future negotiations.
One assessment suggests that that the Ukrainians are trying to disrupt the movement of Russian troops into the Kharkiv region southeast of Sumy, the U.S. officialsaid. Another official noted that it is more likely that Ukraine is trying to overwhelm Russian forces, rather than seize territory and hold it for a long time.
” Russia does not have enough troops to send for reinforcements, while maintaining their current combat position and numbers both in the Kharkiv region and in the east,” the second official said. “We have to send troops from another place.”
The offensive in Kursk increased pressure on Putin, as Russian civilians had to be evacuated under the same type of bombardment that Ukrainians have been enduring for more than two years.
Ukrainian officials have asked Washington to allow them to use long-range U.S. ATACMS missiles to strike airfields that Russia is using for retaliatory strikes against the invasion – a decision that, if approved, if approved, could allow Kyiv to hold part of Kursk for some time.
“It will give them leverage to negotiate with Russia – that ‘ s what it’s all about,” – Zelenskiy’ s adviser said.
The gas metering station, which Ukraine now controls, is located about five miles inside Russia, the Zelenskiy adviser said. On Thursday, gas was still being pumped through Sedzha, the last operating shipment point of the pipeline, that transports Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine. The station is unlikely to be used as leverage, the adviser said, because, given that the pipeline already passes through Ukraine, that the pipeline already passes through Ukraine, Kyiv could cut off the flows atany time.
Ukraine earns lucrative transit fees from this, but has expressed a desire to end Russia’s residual energy business in Europe. Meanwhile, Russia ‘s National Guard said it has stepped up security around the Kursk nuclear power plant, located about 40 miles northeast of the city.
As Kyiv prepares for Russian reprisals, Ukrainian officials on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of about 6 ,000 people from Sumy.
Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of general staff, told Putin on Wednesday that the Ukrainian offensive had been stopped. But Russian military bloggers painted a very different picture, criticizing Russian troops for not securing the border and lamenting the loss of the city of Suja to the Ukrainian invaders.
According to the independent Russian media outletVertska , which interviewed residents of Suji and their relatives, many face difficulties leaving the city.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the President of Ukraine, suggested on national news, that anyany military action on Russian territory could improve Ukraine ‘s position Ukraine’s position in future negotiations with Russia to end the war. He did not comment specifically on the situation with the invasion of Kursk.
Bloomberg reports that European natural gas prices have started to rise again and are trading at their highest levels since the beginning of 2024 amid reports of hostilities in the Kursk region.
Ukraine has not officially commented on the events at the Russian border. On August 6, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had allegedly broken through the border with the Kursk region. Videos and photos are circulated on social media , allegedly showing fighting on Russian territory.
