On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces checked an effort by Ukraine to expand a stunning weeklong incursion into Russia. A Kyiv official says Ukraine doesn’t intend to occupy Russian land. It seeks to expose Russia’s weaknesses, show allies what it can do, and deal a painful blow to the Kremlin.
On August 6, Ukrainian troops poured into Russia’s Kursk region. They quickly overwhelmed a few lightly armed areas. The units sowed panic throughout the region. About 121,000 people were evacuated from Kursk or fled on their own, Russian officials say.
The raid has involved about 386 square miles of Russian territory, Ukraine’s military claims.
Apparently, Ukraine assembled thousands of troops without Russia’s notice. Up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops used Western-provided equipment.
Analysts say one reason for the attack may be to ease pressure on Ukraine’s front line. The move drew Kremlin forces into defending Kursk and other areas.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi says the cross-border action was aimed at protecting Ukrainian land. He says Russia has launched more than 2,000 strikes from the Kursk region in recent months.
“Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory,” Tykhyi says. “But we want to protect the lives of our people.”
For Ukraine, the raid provided a much-needed morale boost. The country’s forces are undermanned and under-gunned. They face relentless Russian attacks along the more than 620-mile front line.
Following the surprise raid, Kremlin forces increased attacks in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s military said on August 13 that Russian troops had launched 52 assaults close to the front line near Donetsk in the last 24 hours.
Two-and-a-half years into the Russia-Ukraine war, apart from intervention by God, there is no clear end in sight.
Ukraine’s ambitious operation is the largest attack on Russia since World War II. It rattled the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly called a meeting with his top defense officials.
Analyst Dara Massicot calls the raid a smart move. She says it exploited gaps among border guards, Ministry of Defense forces, and units fighting for Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy calls attacking Russian positions “absolutely fair.” He adds that the goal of the mission was “liberation of the border from the Russian military.”
Meanwhile, Putin suggests the attack was an attempt to stop Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain clout in possible peace talks. He vows that Moscow will fulfill all of its fighting goals.
The Russian propaganda response focused on the Kremlin’s efforts to provide aid to displaced residents. It also downplayed Russian unreadiness for the attack.
Russian state TV showed evacuated residents lining up for food and water. Volunteers issued bags of aid. Officials helped people, including children and older folks, off buses.
The raid highlights Russia’s failure to protect the country and disproves Putin’s claim that Russia has remained mostly unaffected by the fighting.
It also sends a signal to Kyiv’s allies that Ukraine’s military could seize control in the war.
However, despite early successes, the foray into Russia might erode some of Ukraine’s most capable fighting units—and leave troops in Donetsk without vital support.
Military expert Matthew Savill says, “Sustaining a force of any size in Russia and defending against counterattacks will be hard, given the limited reserves available to Ukraine.”
