Apparently Vladimir Putin did not expect that now he would have to bring reinforcements from the interior of the country and from Ukraine to defend his land from the offensive so effectively conducted by Kiev. Putin has spoken so many times about Russia's power, and now he is the first Kremlin ruler in 80 years whose compatriots flee in panic from an enemy attack.
– So what? We're on Russian soil – says a Ukrainian soldier into a phone camera while driving a military vehicle.
Ukrainian soldiers have been there since August 6, when their offensive in Kursk region began. They have shot down at least two Russian helicopters, broken up a Russian military convoy, and taken dozens of prisoners. Among other places, they control the transfer station of the last operational gas pipeline connecting Russia with Europe.
– Greetings from the city of Sudzha. The city is controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There is peace, the buildings are intact. The strategic Gazprom installation in Sudzha is under the control of the 99th Mechanized Battalion – a Ukrainian soldier reports.
Direction of Ukrainian offensiveGoogle Earth
Russians announce anti-terrorist operation regime
The Russians have announced a regime of counter-terrorist operations in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions. They are evacuating civilians. At the same time, they are bringing in reserves from deep in Russia and probably also units fighting in Ukraine.
At the same time, they shelled a shopping center in Konstantinivka in Donbas, killing 14 Ukrainian civilians.
– Russia knows perfectly well where its missiles are striking. This is deliberate, planned Russian terror. These are war crimes for which the occupier will answer, in court and before history. And for which it is already answering before our army – says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russian bombs are also falling on the Ukrainian Sumy region, where the offensive has begun. Authorities have evacuated 20,000 civilians from the area.
– When it started and our troops entered, the Russians started bombing us with planes and helicopters. Nothing more – just planes and helicopters – describes Svitlana Linova, an evacuated resident of Sumy Oblast.
Paradoxically, Lukashenko helped them.
The Ukrainians sent elements of at least four elite brigades into combat in Russia, supported by artillery, anti-aircraft defense and drones.
– Lukashenka helped them a bit by withdrawing his two brigades from the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. In this way, they were able to free their forces that were there and direct them to this dynamic attack in the direction of Kursk – says General Mieczysław Bieniek, former NATO deputy strategic commander.
Ukraine's offensive in Kursk Oblast. General Mieczysław Bieniek comments TVN24
Lukashenko ordered his troops to return to the border after Ukrainian drones allegedly violated Belarusian airspace.
– Ukrainians are proving that they are not ready for any peace, they continue escalation – comments Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Ukrainians, by opening a new front, probably wanted to slow down the Russian offensive in Donbas. Experts also talk about building a negotiating position before the peace talks. However, the exact goals of the Ukrainian offensive are a closely guarded secret.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY HANDOUT