KYIV – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has, for the first time, acknowledged that Ukrainian forces are engaged in a surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. As the border region’s authorities rush to evacuate civilians from high-risk areas, Moscow’s forces are in their sixth day of intense battles against Kyiv’s largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began.
In response to the situation, Russia imposed a sweeping security regime in three border regions on Saturday. Belarus, a staunch ally of Moscow, also sent more troops to its border with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of violating its airspace.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy discussed the operation with top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, vowing to restore justice after Russia’s full-scale aggression on its smaller neighbor began in February 2022.
“Today, I received several reports from commander-in-chief Syrskyi regarding the front lines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor’s territory,” Zelenskiy said. “Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor.”
Russian Response and Evacuations
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Ukrainian attack as a major provocation. Despite Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov stating on Wednesday that the attacks had been halted, Russian forces have not succeeded in pushing Ukrainian forces back over the border.
Russian military bloggers report that the situation has stabilized following the arrival of Russian reinforcements, although they note that Ukraine is quickly building up its forces.
Early Sunday, Kursk officials reported that 13 people were injured when debris from a destroyed Ukraine-launched missile fell onto a nine-story residential building. Acting Governor Alexei Smirnov ordered local authorities to expedite the evacuation of civilians from at-risk areas. On Saturday, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported that more than 76,000 people had been evacuated.
Both Kyiv and Moscow deny targeting civilians in their attacks during the war, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of Ukrainians, with no end in sight.
Russian military bloggers indicate that fighting is occurring as deep as 20 km (12 miles) inside the Kursk region, prompting some to question how Ukraine was able to penetrate the region so easily.