Berliner Abendpost - Russia battling major Ukraine border incursion for third day

NYSE - LSE

CMSC	0.29%	22.085	$
JRI	-0.15%	13.01	$
BCC	5.02%	76.06	$
NGG	0.33%	82.59	$
CMSD	0.31%	22.38	$
AZN	-4.01%	171.61	$
BTI	-0.03%	60.02	$
BCE	0.28%	21.38	$
RIO	1.16%	90.54	$
RBGPF	0.52%	67.35	$
GSK	0.59%	52.78	$
RELX	1.14%	32.44	$
BP	1.66%	39.2	$
RYCEF	1.95%	19.46	$
VOD	11.14%	14.72	$

Russia battling major Ukraine border incursion for third day

POLITICS 08.08.2024

Russia battling major Ukraine border incursion for third day / Photo: - - Governor of Kursk Region/AFP

Russia's army was fighting a major Ukrainian border incursion for the third day running, Moscow said Thursday, with independent analysts saying Kyiv's troops had advanced up to 10 kilometres (six miles) into Russia.

Text size:

Pro-Kyiv forces stormed into Russia's southwestern Kursk region on Tuesday morning, deploying around 1,000 troops and more than two dozen armoured vehicles and tanks, according to the Russian army.

It appears to be the most significant of several cross-border attacks mounted by Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive in February 2022.

Russia's defence ministry said Thursday its troops were "continuing to destroy" armed Ukrainian units and were using air strikes, rocket and artillery fire to try to push them back.

It said it had rushed in reserves and was "thwarting attempts to break through" deeper into the Kursk region.

The independent US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukraine had made significant territorial gains in the first two days of the incursion.

"Ukrainian forces have made confirmed advances up to 10 kilometres (six miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast amid continued mechanised offensive operations on Russian territory," it said in its latest update.

"The current confirmed extent and location of Ukrainian advances in Kursk Oblast indicate that Ukrainian forces have penetrated at least two Russian defensive lines and a stronghold," it added.

Kyiv has not officially taken responsibility for the operation, but an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was to blame for the incursion.

"The root cause of any escalation, shelling, military actions, forced evacuations and destruction of normal life forms -- including within the Russian Federation's own territories like Kursk and Belgorod regions -- is solely Russia's unequivocal aggression," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Thursday on social media.

Without mentioning the Kursk attacks, Zelensky himself said Wednesday: "The more pressure we put on Russia ... the closer we will get to peace. A just peace through just force."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called it a "large-scale provocation" by Kyiv and Russia's top general vowed on Wednesday to crush the incursion.

- 'Entrenching' -

There have been few detailed updates from Russian officials on the situation on the ground.

The surprise attack appeared to catch Russia's army off guard, triggering criticism of its top brass by the country's influential military bloggers.

The Ukrainian advance has centred on the logistical hub of Sudzha, a town of around 5,000 inhabitants located eight kilometres (five miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Russian military bloggers, who have links to the army, also reported Thursday that Kyiv had made significant advances.

"The situation is complicated and continues to worsen," blogger Yury Podolyaka said in a post on Telegram.

"Sudzha has been completely lost," he said.

The Dva Mayora Telegram channel said Ukraine was "entrenching, indicating that the fighting is likely to be long-term."

Many reported Ukrainian troops had advanced towards the town of Korenevo, more than 25 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

AFP could not verify those reports.

Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Thursday it would continue shipping gas through the Sudzha metering station, the last transit point for Russian gas heading to Europe via Ukraine.

Moscow also said its forces had destroyed a US-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle that Ukraine was using in the incursion.

The defence ministry had initially blamed a pro-Ukrainian "sabotage group" for carrying out the raid, but it has since said Ukraine's army is carrying out the raid.

Pro-Kyiv militia, including those made up of Russian citizens fighting against Moscow, have staged several previous cross-border raids.

But the latest incursion into the Kursk region appears to be the most successful and organised attempt by Ukraine to penetrate Russian territory.

Kyiv's objectives remain unclear, with some analysts suggesting it is an attempt to stretch Russia's army, forcing them to move units away from the eastern Donetsk region where they have been advancing.

The White House said Wednesday it was contacting Ukraine to learn more about the "objectives" of the incursion.

The governor of the Kursk region introduced an "emergency situation" in the region on Wednesday evening, a move that gives authorities the power to restrict movement in a bid to bring the situation under control.

Several thousand have been evacuated on both sides of the border.

R.Keller--BlnAP

Featured

Iran declares Hormuz strait closed, US military insists traffic flowing

Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed on Sunday while the United States insisted it remained open, after the confrontation over the vital waterway again sparked US and Iranian strikes.

Ukraine's Zelensky orders government reshuffle, new PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a major reshuffle of the government on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the heads of some law enforcement agencies.

Iran, US trade more strikes as fighting escalates

Iran said Sunday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at Gulf neighbours after the US carried out a new round of strikes as their conflict escalated.

Noosha Aubel and Potsdam: The trust placed in her has been squandered

Noosha Aubel: a €33.4 million budget deficit in the state capital Potsdam, around €500,000 spent on external consultancy, revised austerity plans at the expense of children – and a shameful case involving a severely disabled toddler as part of a nursery scandal: Noosha Aubel inherited some of these crises, but the leadership deficit is now entirely her own. A 72.9 per cent share of the vote is not a mark of leadership; it is merely a vote of confidence. Noosha Aubel (50) received an exceptionally high level of this confidence in October 2025 – and has squandered it in a surprisingly short space of time. The hope for a fresh start has given way to bitter disillusionment, which is by no means limited to political opponents. After just 100 days, observers were already finding no clear direction whatsoever; in June 2026, media circles openly reported on unsettled supporters, unilateral actions and a lack of majorities. The yardstick is simple: is Potsdam functioning better? Are the finances in order, decisions properly prepared and the most vulnerable protected? So far, the answer is: no. Potsdam wanted a fresh start. It got a mayor who all too often confuses management jargon with leadership and is unable to get a grip on problems in the state capital. Added to this is a shameful scandal involving a toddler with multiple severe disabilities, for whom Aubel is personally responsible, and which raises questions about morality and decency. It is particularly shameful that media enquiries are not being answered by the head of the press office at Potsdam Town Hall, Jan Brunzlow – even though Noosha Aubel has demonstrably been contacted personally. Instead of answering the questions posed in a transparent and comprehensible manner, Brunzlow, according to the available documents, is pushing for a ‘personal conversation’, thereby apparently attempting to shift the communication into a non-public, informal setting. Should this course of action indeed contravene the applicable obligations to provide information under press law, a fundamental question arises: Is Noosha Aubel fit to hold the office of Lord Mayor of the state capital, Potsdam?