Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
In a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukrainian forces have launched an incursion into Russian territory, describing the move as an effort to “restore justice” and increase pressure on Russian forces. This marks the first public acknowledgment by Kyiv of what has become the largest Ukrainian offensive into Russia since the war began, targeting the western Kursk region.
The surprise operation, now in its sixth day, has left southwestern Russia vulnerable, forcing Moscow to rush reinforcements to the area. On Saturday, Russian authorities began evacuating residents from three border regions and implemented a sweeping security regime in response to the attack, which military analysts believe caught the Kremlin off guard. Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, also dispatched additional troops to its border with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of violating its airspace.
In his nightly address, Zelenskyy stated that he had discussed the ongoing operation with Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, emphasizing that Ukraine is determined to bring the war to Russian soil following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi about the front lines and our actions to bring the war to the aggressor’s territory,” Zelenskyy said late Saturday. “Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and apply the necessary pressure on the aggressor.”
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Sunday that it had destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones and four Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles overnight in the Kursk region, as well as 18 more drones in other regions frequently targeted by Ukraine. The ministry described the ground incursion as “barbaric” and argued that it lacked military rationale.
While Ukrainian forces have reportedly seized control of several square kilometers of Russian territory, Russia continues to occupy more than 100,000 square kilometers of internationally recognized Ukrainian land. Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, claimed on Wednesday that the Ukrainian attacks had been halted, although Russian forces have not yet succeeded in pushing the Ukrainian troops back across the border.
Zelenskyy also highlighted that Russia had launched nearly 2,000 cross-border strikes on Ukraine’s Sumy region from the Kursk region this summer, calling for a proportional response.
“Artillery, mortars, drones—we are also recording missile strikes, and each strike deserves a fair response,” the Ukrainian president stated.
Earlier reports from Kursk officials indicated that 13 people were injured when debris from a destroyed Ukrainian missile struck a nine-story residential building in the city. Images shared by the city’s mayor showed flames engulfing a shattered apartment block surrounded by charred debris.
Russian military bloggers reported that fighting has been occurring as deep as 20 kilometers (12 miles) inside the Kursk region, raising questions about how Ukraine managed to penetrate Russian defenses so effectively.
In the aftermath of a Russian airstrike near Kyiv that killed a father and his 4-year-old son, Zelenskyy urged Western partners to make “strong decisions” that would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons.
“When Ukraine’s long-range capabilities have no limits, this war will definitely have a limit,” Zelenskyy wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova has appealed to the United Nations, urging it to condemn Ukraine’s actions in the Kursk region. In a Telegram post, Moskalkova said she had requested the UN Human Rights Commissioner to “take measures to prevent gross mass violations of human rights.”
