Politics Russia fights against Ukrainian offensive in its own country
For the third day in a row, the Ukrainian army has pressed ahead with its surprise offensive across the border into the Russian region of Kursk and made territorial gains. The Russian civilian authorities in Kursk and the Ministry of Defense in Moscow officially announced that the Ukrainian advance had been halted.
08.08.2024, 16:54
SDA
However, the Russian military blog Rybar, which is close to the ministry, painted a different picture: according to it, the Ukrainians continued to advance, drew up reserves during the night and began to fortify their positions. The Russian response to the cross-border offensive was slow. A state of emergency was declared in the Kursk region, where thousands are on the run.
The railroad stations in the border towns of Sudzha, Korenovo and Psel were closed to passenger traffic, according to the railroad directorate in Moscow. Injured people from the Kursk region, mainly children, were taken to hospitals in the capital. From there, doctors traveled to the embattled region.
Blog sees west of Sudzha under Ukrainian control
An advance by Ukrainian troops was prevented thanks to the deployment of border troops, brought-in reserves, air strikes and artillery fire, according to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. The military blog Rybar reported that the western part of the small town of Sudzha was under Ukrainian control. Fighting was taking place to the east of the town.
The Ukrainians have also advanced further north towards Anastasyevka and north-east towards Korenovo. According to local reports, however, there is no Ukrainian presence in Sudzha itself. There are only reports of shooting and artillery fire to the north and west of the city.
According to unconfirmed reports, Ukrainian reconnaissance units have also advanced in the direction of the Kursk nuclear power plant and have been sighted near Anastasyevka. Experts from the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed, based on information on social networks, that Ukrainian troops had advanced at least ten kilometers into the area.
Officially, Ukraine continued to keep a low profile on the advance into enemy territory, which began on Tuesday. The offensive was not mentioned in the General Staff's morning report. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said at the presentation of a cell phone app for the military: "The Ukrainian army can surprise. And it can achieve results."
Russian gas exports are running normally
There is a gas metering and compressor station near Sudzha that is important for Russian gas exports to the west and is presumably in the hands of the Ukrainians. Despite this, the Russian gas company Gazprom reported only a slight drop in the flow.
According to the company, the daily volume of natural gas expected to flow through is around 37.3 million cubic meters. This is five percent less than the previous day, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. From Sudzha, the transit runs through Ukraine and on to Slovakia and Austria.
In 2023, 14.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to the European Union in this way despite the ongoing war.
While only irregular units were deployed in previous advances from Ukrainian territory into Russia, this time, according to all reports, regular Ukrainian troops are advancing with tanks, artillery and air defense. The move across the border represents a change in Kiev's warfare.
Until now, it has focused on recapturing or defending its own territories, while Russian territories have been targeted from the air with its own drones and missiles. Most Western arms suppliers have restricted the use of their weapons to Russian military targets in Ukraine.
However, the EU considered the advance to be covered by the right to self-defense. "We are of the opinion that Ukraine is waging a legitimate war of defense against illegal aggression," said a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Brussels. Self-defense also includes the right to attack the enemy on its territory.
The EU stands behind Ukraine's efforts to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty and to combat Russia's illegal aggression.
Moment of surprise on the part of Ukraine
However, the aim of the advance is still a matter of debate, as Ukraine actually needs the troops to stabilize the crumbling front in the Donetsk region. On the other hand, the attack gives it an element of surprise.
It is possible that Ukraine wants to force Russia to regroup its forces after Moscow recently made territorial gains in the Donbass and pushed Kiev's troops onto the defensive. It is also being discussed that Ukraine wanted to pre-empt a Russian attack on its Sumy region. Russia opened a new front near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in May.
"At a time when the Ukrainian defenders in the east are being pushed back at several points, the deployment of capable combat troops in Kursk is either a brilliant counterattack to shift the balance of war or a strategic mistake," wrote US expert and former general Mick Ryan on the X network.
Moscow military observers, meanwhile, believe that the Ukrainian attack on Russian territory, allegedly also with weapons from NATO states, has increased the motivation among the Russian population to continue the war. Russian state television showed how waves of aid were rolling in from many parts of the country to support the people in Kursk.
