Ukraine said on Wednesday its troops had advanced further into Russia’s Kursk region, the largest foreign incursion into Russia since World War Two, creating a dilemma for President Vladimir Putin, according to U.S. President Joe Biden.
Thousands of Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border into Russia’s western Kursk region in the early hours of August 6, in what Putin called a major provocation designed to give them a stronger position in future ceasefire negotiations.
Ukraine occupies parts of the Kursk region on the Russian border and although Putin has said Russian forces would drive them out, more than a week of heavy fighting has so far failed to drive them out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev’s forces continued to gain ground in the Kursk region, seizing another one to two kilometers (1-2 kilometers) on Wednesday.
“We are continuing to make further advances in the Kursk region,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram statement. “Since the start of today, we have made one to two kilometers of progress in various areas, and in the same period, we have captured more than 100 Russian prisoners of war.”
NBC News was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.
A Ukrainian soldier drives a Soviet-made tank in the Sumy region near the Russian border earlier this week. Roman Pilipei/AFP – Getty Images
The Russian Defense Ministry said 117 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight on Russian territory, mostly in the Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod regions. It said a missile was also shot down, and footage showed Sukhoi Su-34 bombers attacking Ukrainian military positions in the Kursk region.
The State Department later said Russian forces had repelled a series of Ukrainian attacks in the Kursk region, including in Russkoye Poletchnoye, 11 miles from the border, and pro-Russian war bloggers said the front was stabilizing.
A Ukrainian security source, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters, said the Ukrainian drone attacks also included attacks on four Russian military airfields in an attempt to weaken Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine with glide bombs.
The Russian National Guard said it was stepping up security at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, just 22 miles from the scene of the fighting.
The Ukrainian military’s attack on Russian territory dramatically changed the dynamics of the two-and-a-half-year war, which has seen Russia advance in eastern Ukraine since Kiev’s 2023 counteroffensive that failed to achieve much against Russian forces.
But an unprecedented invasion of Ukraine carries huge risks for Russia, Ukraine and the West, which are keen to avoid a direct confrontation between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance that has helped arm Kiev against Moscow.
Biden said U.S. officials were in constant communication with Ukraine over the incursion, which he said “created a real dilemma” for Putin, who ordered thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
The White House said Ukraine had no advance notice of the invasion and the United States was not involved, though Russian officials have suggested Ukraine’s Western backers must have known about the attack.
“Of course they are involved,” Russian lawmaker Maria Butina told Reuters. “It’s even worse to say you don’t know anything and put all the blame on Ukraine.”
A Ukrainian drone operator assembles a Poseidon surveillance drone near the Russian border. Roman Pilipei/AFP – Getty ImagesRussian soldiers fire missiles at Ukrainian military positions from an undisclosed location. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP
Russian state television reported that Russian forces were turning the tide against Ukrainian forces, airing footage of successful attacks on Ukrainian positions and providing widespread coverage of the evacuation of Russian civilians from the border area.
Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Shirsky, said the Russian town of Suzha, a transshipment hub for Russian natural gas flowing through Ukraine to Europe, was fully under Ukrainian control. Natural gas deliveries continued on Wednesday.
By bringing the war into Russia, Ukraine has evacuated some 200,000 Russians from a border region close to where the Red Army defeated Nazi forces in one of the world’s largest tank battles during World War II in 1943.
Putin said Monday that Ukraine was seeking to improve Kiev’s negotiating position ahead of possible peace talks “with the support of the West.”
But he questioned how negotiations were possible with an enemy that he accuses of indiscriminately attacking Russian civilians and nuclear facilities.
The Russian ruble fell against the dollar on Wednesday, having fallen 8.5% since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian officials say Ukraine is seeking to show Western backers it remains capable of mobilizing a large-scale military operation as pressure grows for Kiev and Moscow to agree to talks to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.
Zelenskiy said the invasion was aimed at putting pressure on Russian forces and “restoring justice” after Russia’s aggression.
The offensive poses risks for Kiev: By committing troops to fighting on Russian soil, Ukraine could leave other parts of the domestic front vulnerable. Russia controls 18 percent of Ukrainian territory and has been making incremental advances in recent days.
A Russian military blogger said he expected at least one more major move from Ukraine in the coming days. In Belgorod, on the Russian border, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency for the entire region.
“The situation remains tough,” Yuri Podolyaca, an influential Ukrainian-born pro-Russian military blogger, said of the situation in Kursk.
“The enemy remains in control and is slowly but surely increasing its presence in the Kursk region.”