Ukraine has made significant gains in its cross-border assault into Russia’s Kursk region, advancing one to two kilometers and clearing the town of Sudzha. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that more than 100 Russian prisoners of war had been captured, and over 1,000 square kilometers of territory had been taken by Ukrainian forces. The operation has blindsided Moscow and given Ukraine its biggest battlefield gains since 2022.
Russian President Putin has vowed a “worthy response” to Ukraine’s incursion, accusing Kyiv’s “Western masters” of aiding Ukraine. The U.S. has not been involved in the operation, despite Russian officials suggesting otherwise. The goal of the assault appears to be to force Russia to pull troops out of Ukraine to defend its own territory against the attack.
Russia has reacted by evacuating nearly 200,000 people from border regions near the World War Two battle site of Kursk, where the Red Army defeated the Nazis in 1943. Russian officials have declared a state of emergency in the Belgorod region due to continued attacks by Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian assault on Russia has shifted the narrative of the war, with Russia having previously been advancing. The attack has prompted changes in the Kremlin’s position, with Putin questioning the possibility of negotiations with an enemy firing at Russian civilians and nuclear facilities. The Russian ruble has weakened, and tensions are escalating as pressure mounts for peace talks. Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory has risks, including potentially leaving other parts of the front exposed to Russian advances.
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