The Ukrainian invasion of the Russian Kursk region appears to be an unprecedented attack, which, according to experts, may be aimed at diverting Russian resources from other regions or undermining morale in Russia, summarizes France Press, BTA reported.
Kiev authorities have remained unusually silent, with no one officially acknowledging the existence of this operation and senior officials refusing to comment, even on condition of anonymity. Moscow, for its part, disseminates scant information, seeking to strike a balance between condemning the escalation and avoiding panic.
According to the Russian army, Ukrainian forces launched the attack in the Kursk region on Tuesday around 08:00 Moscow (and Bulgarian) time. According to Russia, Ukraine has sent a thousand soldiers and several dozen tanks and other armored vehicles.
Russia accused Ukrainian forces of indiscriminate strikes on civilian buildings and sent reinforcements, fighter jets and artillery to repel the attack in the region, where a state of emergency has been declared. At least 5 civilians have died and 31 have been injured since the entry began, Russian representatives announced yesterday.
Several thousand people have fled the hostilities on the Russian side. Kiev ordered the evacuation of about 6,000 people in the Sumy region, on the other side of the border.
The attack appears unusual because of its scale and the fact that regular Ukrainian troops appear to be involved. Militants from Ukraine have already made several brief incursions into Russia, claimed by units claiming to be Russians fighting on the side of Kiev, such as the "Russian Volunteer Corps" and the "Freedom for Russia" legion.
In mid-March, against the background of the elections in Russia, Ukrainian stormtroopers tried several times to seize territories in the neighboring Belgorod region.
Ukraine's allies appeared surprised by Tuesday's attack. Washington said it had reached out to Kiev to get more information.
According to Kyiv-based military analyst Sergey Zgurets, "the photos showing the destruction of Russian and Ukrainian equipment, helicopters, the use of aircraft, the use of artillery by both sides," are a sign of a large-scale military operation.
Data from the Institute for the Study of War as of today showed that Ukrainian troops have entered ten kilometers into Russian territory. This offensive was focused on the logistics center of Suja, a town of 5,500 inhabitants eight kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Russian military bloggers affiliated with the military also reported significant progress, with some claiming that Ukrainian troops were partially in control of Suja and surrounding villages.
The goals of this operation are still not clear, and in the absence of an official comment from Ukraine, experts put forward several hypotheses. According to some of them, the invasion may be aimed at withdrawing Russian reserves from Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where Russia launched an offensive in May.
The attack could also have a psychological effect, boosting the morale of Ukrainians who see their army fighting elsewhere, while destabilizing Russia.
"Another goal is to show Russian society what it feels like when your territory is occupied,", Sergiy Solodki, a senior official at the New European Center think tank, told AFP. in Kyiv.
Finally, some argue that if Ukraine manages to keep these territories, it could use them as bargaining chips against Russia in hypothetical peace talks.
It is extremely important for Ukraine to have a number of trump cards before the US presidential elections in November, which could lead to the return of Donald Trump to the White House, notes AFP.