Ukraine’s incursion into Russia is “significant” and much more than an incursion, says our security and defense analyst Professor Michael Clarke.
“It started on Tuesday and looked like one of the attacks by the Russian Freedom Legion,” he says, referring to past incursions through anti-Kremlin (not Ukraine) teams. -even).
“It seemed like one of those attacks – a type of jab – was intended to embarrass the Russians and cause them some problems,” he added.
However, over time it has become apparent that Kyiv may be just the area, after significant initial gains.
“It turns out that the Ukrainians have clearly made a decision on this . . . and that in about 48 hours they were allegedly doing it with pretty gigantic units,” he added, pointing to reports that tanks and armored vehicles were provided through the Americans and Germans. had been deployed in the field.
Sky News is asking for explanations as to whether British military aircraft were used in the attack.
“They (Ukraine) appear to have taken at least a dozen settlements,” he said.
“They went to Sudzha, which is a logistics hub, and from there they deployed to the northeast and southeast,” he adds.
Sudzha is the last operational point of transshipment of Russian vegetable fuel to Europe, Ukraine.
“They are miles deep in Russia. . . and it’s huge, it’s not just an incursion,” Professor Clarke concludes.
As for Russia’s response, it did not impress.
“The Russians think they could fix it with some of their reserve battalions,” he said, adding that “that’s the case. ”
If they want to push the Ukrainians back, “they will have to dedicate more [resources]” to Kursk.
Although the extent of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia remains uncertain, the city of Sudzha has been in the midst of considerations in recent days.
Located about 10. 5 km from the border with Ukraine, it is about one hundred km from the regional capital, the city of Kursk.
Sudzha is home to about 5,000 other people and is a major fuel shipping hub.
Ukrainian troops who have crossed the border (and it is estimated that there may only be several thousand) are said to have expanded the spaces under their control.
Search and rescue operations continue in the rubble of a supermarket in the Donetsk region where a Russian strike killed at least 10 people.
This afternoon firefighters were seen running through the ruins of Kostiantynivka.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, adding: “Russia will be held responsible for this terrorism and we will do everything possible to ensure that the world continues to support Ukraine, support our defense and save the lives of our people. ”
“Operation Liquidation” is the title of an opinion article about the incursion into Russia.
But this is a reference to the Ukrainian offensive. It is a prediction of what will be unleashed in response to the Russian enemy.
Elsewhere it is more or less the same: it is Ukrainian casualties and alleged Russian resistance.
There is no mention of the fact that, for the first time since the start of this war, Ukrainian forces have taken part of its territory.
Read what our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett has to say below. . .
Foreign Minister David Lammy, civil society and the relaxed press were “almost eliminated” in Belarus.
“Today’s sanctions target those involved in human rights abuses and the regime’s assistance to Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry added that it marks the fourth anniversary of a presidential election “deeply marked by irregularities and the beginning of repression against civil society”.
He also announced a planned investment of £2. 5 million for the survival of human rights and civil society in Belarus in the face of continued political pressure.
As a reminder: in the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected according to official results.
However, he widely reported that the elections were neither relaxed nor fair and were most likely rigged in Lukashenko’s favor.
The result sparked protests and civil unrest in the country, as well as accusations of human rights violations by the government.
Another 10 people were reportedly killed in the attack on a supermarket in the Donetsk region.
Russia today accuses of shelling the city of Kostiantynivka with artillery, perhaps in retaliation for the scenario unfolding across the border in Kursk.
Images from the scene in Kostiantynivka: thick black smoke rises into the air.
Earlier, four other people had been reported dead, but the Kyiv Independent now reports the death toll at 10, calling Ukraine’s state emergency services.
At least 35 other people were reportedly injured.
Hours earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said search and rescue operations were underway as other people remained trapped under the rubble.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow has begun moving more forces to the Kursk region in reaction to Ukraine’s main incursion.
Columns equipped with Grad rocket systems, artillery and tanks are approaching the area lately.
A federal state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region, bordering the Ukrainian Sumy region.
Russian forces have been Ukrainian troops for 3 days after Kyiv’s troops crossed the border.
An estimated 1,000 Ukrainians crossed the border in the early hours of Tuesday with tanks and armored vehicles, supported by drones and artillery.
Ukraine remains tight-lipped about the advance of its forces into Russian territory; the most recent figures released through its Ministry of Defense are notable.
In the past 24 hours, Kyiv claims there have been more than 1,000 Russian casualties, a figure of more than several days.
This comes at a time when Russian forces continue to launch offensives along the frontline at wonderful cost, while the scenario is also evolving in Kursk.
Russia also claims it is causing heavy losses to Ukrainian forces.
The Pentagon says it considers the Kursk incursion an escalation.
Responding to questions yesterday, Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Ukraine would do “everything possible to continue to regain its sovereign territory. “
In particular, he asked whether the Pentagon believes Russia could simply escalate tensions after the attack, adding that with the United States.
She replied: “No, because in the end Ukraine is fighting for its sovereign territory invaded by its neighbor.
“So if we need to ease tensions, as we have said from the beginning, the most productive way to do it is for Putin to resolve to withdraw his troops from Ukraine. “
She continued: “We don’t think this is an escalation. Ukraine is doing what it has to do to succeed on the battlefield. »
The United States has denied having detailed knowledge of the Kursk raid.
The Russian Defense Ministry says its troops “continue to repel” the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region.
A Russian official also said the fighting is taking place “several dozen kilometers” from Kurchatov, where a nuclear plant is located.
The picture of what is happening remains unclear, and it is unimaginable to know the Kremlin’s claims.
This comes as Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations declared a federal state of emergency in the Kursk region.