Kremlin propaganda tries to downplay the Ukrainian offensive on Russian soil, despite the evacuation of more than 100,000 civilians. Putin says kyiv is trying to contain Russian advance in eastern Ukraine and gain negotiating leverage. Zelensky confirms the incursion of Ukrainian troops.
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, said this Monday that the incursion of the Ukrainian Army into the Russian region of Kurskwhich has caused the flight of more than 100,000 civilians and has put the Kremlin in trouble, represents an attempt by kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in the Donbas region, in eastern Ukraine.
In a meeting with senior security and defense officials, Putin also said that the attack, which began on August 6, appeared to be an attempt by kyiv to obtain a best negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war.
Russian forces still struggling to respond to Ukrainian surprise attack after almost a week of intense fightingbut Putin insisted that his Army will emerge victorious.
Putin tries to contain reputational damage
The development dealt a blow to Putin’s efforts to pretend that life in Russia has been largely unaffected by the war. The state propaganda tried downplay to the attack, emphasizing the efforts of the authorities to help the residents of the region and trying to distract attention from the failure of the military to prepare for the offensive and repel it quickly.
Putin further stated that Ukraine hoped the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but that it has failed to achieve that goal, and stated that the number of volunteers joining the Russian military has increased due to the assault. He also said that Russian forces They will continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine anyway.
“It is evident that the enemy will continue trying to destabilize the situation in the border area to try to destabilize the internal political situation in our country,” Putin said. Russia’s main task is to “expel the enemy from our territories and, together with the border service, ensure reliable coverage of the state border,” he added.
Ukrainian troops advance positions in Kursk, according to local authorities
The acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, informed Putin that the ukrainian forces had advanced 12 kilometers in the region of Kursk throughout a 40 kilometer front and currently they control 28 Russian settlements.
Smirnov said that 12 civilians have died and others 121including ten children, have been found injured in the operation. Nails 121.000 personas have been evacuated or have left areas affected by fighting by his own means, he indicated. The total number of planned evacuations is from 180.000.
According to Smirnov, it is difficult to locate all the Ukrainian units patrolling the region and creating distractions, and some of them use fake Russian identity documents. The governor of the region of Belgradeadjacent to Kursk, also announced the evacuation of the population of a district close to the border with Ukraine.
Zelensky confirms the incursion of Ukrainian troops into Kursk
This Monday, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiconfirmed that the ukrainian military forces are operating within the Russian region of Kursk. Zelensky made the statement in a social media post in which he praised the country’s soldiers and commanders “for their firmness and decisive actions,” although He did not give more details about the military incursion.
The president suggested that Ukraine would offer humanitarian assistance in the region and added that members of his Government were instructed to prepare a humanitarian plan for the territory.
The Ukrainian operation is kept strictly secret and its objectives remain unclearespecially regarding whether kyiv forces intend to hold the territory or carry out lightning raids. The surprising maneuver that caught Kremlin forces off guard counters Russia’s tireless effort in recent months to breach Ukrainian defenses at select points along the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has seen previous incursions into its territory during the nearly two-and-a-half-year war, but the operation in the Kursk region involved the largest attack on its soil since World War IImarking a milestone in hostilities. It is also the first time that the Ukrainian military has led an incursion instead of pro-kyiv Russian fighters.
