Kursk: Russia launches counterattack on Ukraine in the border region

CNN
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Russia has launched a counterattack in the Kursk border region after Ukrainian forces unexpectedly crossed the border last month.

“The Russians have launched a counteroffensive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference on Thursday, his first comment since reports emerged of Russian counterattacks in Kursk.

Ukraine had expected a reaction from Russia, and a counter-offensive was in line with the “Ukrainian plan,” said Zelensky.

Zelensky had previously stated that the surprise attack on the Russian region of Kursk was the first step in a four-part “victory plan”.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Russian forces had “invaded” the Kursk region and captured ten settlements.

A social media video geolocalized by CNN showed a Russian mechanized assault group in the settlement of Snagost on the western edge of Ukrainian-controlled territory.

On August 6, Ukrainian troops stormed the Kursk region in a lightning strike that surprised even American officials. It was the first foreign attack on Russian soil since World War II, and thousands of soldiers armed with heavy weapons crossed the border into the region.

This was a sign that Russia's military, despite its superiority in terms of soldiers and tanks, also has weaknesses.

The attack forced Russia to bolster its defenses. US officials told CNN that Moscow had to withdraw thousands of troops from occupied areas of Ukraine to counter the threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to bring in conscripts, breaking his promise not to use them on the front lines.

Last week, Zelensky said Ukraine had captured about 100 settlements and about 1,300 square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region.

One aim of the invasion was to draw Russian forces away from the eastern front line in Ukraine, where they continue to make gradual advances. Another obvious aim was to boost the morale of the Ukrainian army after a stormy few months.

Experts told CNN that Ukraine's bold attempt to breach the border with Russia, planned in the strictest secrecy, surprised even Kyiv's closest allies and changed the course of a war that has been going on for more than two years.

In a joint public appearance on Sunday, both CIA chief Bill Burns and MI6 chief Richard Moore endorsed the invasion of Ukraine at Kursk. Moore said it had changed the situation and Burns called it a significant tactical success.