Russian forces have engaged in a battle with Ukrainian troops for three days following the latter’s daring incursion into Russian territory in the Kursk region, which prompted Moscow to deploy reserves.
In the early hours of August 6, approximately 1,000 Ukrainian troops advanced across the Russian border with tanks and armored vehicles, accompanied by swarms of drones and pounding artillery, in the largest offensive against Russia since the war’s inception, according to Russian officials.
The incursion has caught Russia off guard.
Putin has portrayed the Ukrainian offensive as a significant provocation. The leader of a Kremlin-aligned political party, Sergei Mironov, declared “the invasion of an internationally recognized foreign territory.”
The regional acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, announced the evacuation of thousands of residents.
The White House stated that the United States was unaware of the attack in advance.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, Ukraine’s actions in the Kursk region were consistent with U.S. policy.
“They are taking actions to protect themselves from attacks that are coming from a region that is within the U.S. policy of where they can operate, our weapons, our systems, and our capabilities,” Singh stated to reporters.
She said that Ukraine’s action was not escalatory, as it was taking the necessary steps to achieve success on the battlefield.
The Russian defense ministry declared on Thursday that the army and the Federal Security Service (FSB) had halted Ukraine’s advance and were currently fighting Kyiv’s units in the Kursk region.
The Ukrainian side has kept its silence about the Kursk offensive.
