Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said his troops have taken "full control" of the Russian town of Sudzha, after launching an unprecedented cross-border incursion in the southern Kursk region over a week ago. This is a major victory for Kyiv as Sudzha is the administrative centre for the border region and is the largest Russian town to fall to Ukrainian troops since their offensive on August 6.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine's military was setting up a command office in Sudzha, which suggests that Ukraine might plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term as the war continues with no end in sight. He didn't elaborate on what functions the office might handle, but earlier mentioned that Ukraine would be distributing humanitarian aid to Sudzha residents. Russia is yet to comment on Zelenskyy's claims.
Ukraine's top army commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kyiv had set up a military commandant's office and his forces were advancing in the Kursk region. Syrskyi told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a video published by the Ukrainian leader that the incursion had so far advanced 35 km into the Kursk region, capturing 82 settlements and an area of 1,150 square km.
Ukraine's offensive in Kursk region
The surprise Ukrainian incursion has reframed the war and caused chaos in the Kursk region, leading to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities, and the capture of at least 100 Russian troops, according to Kyiv. A federal emergency was declared in at least three border regions as Moscow scrambled to respond to 10,000 Ukrainian troops staging the largest attack since the beginning of the war in 2022.
Kyiv's surge into Russian territory caught Moscow by surprise, seizing the initiative from the Kremlin's forces who have been grinding out small but steady gains all year in eastern Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the decision was made to protect neighbouring Ukrainian territories and hinted at other offensive actions on Russia.
Ukraine said there was no sign that Russian military pressure was receding along the eastern front inside its borders and reported the heaviest fighting in weeks near the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub. The head of the Pokrovsk military administration appealed to locals to evacuate, saying Russian forces were getting closer.
How did Russia respond to Ukraine's attack?
The surprise foray by Ukraine was a much-needed boost to Kyiv's public morale when the country’s undermanned and under-gunned forces have faced relentless Russian attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer front line. Caught off guard, Russian troops failed to mount a quick response to the incursion.
With the bulk of the Russian army engaged in the offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, few troops were left to protect the Kursk border region. The Russian units along the frontier consisted mostly of poorly trained conscript soldiers, who were easily overcome by elite Ukrainian units.
An influential aide to the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West and the US-led NATO alliance for direct involvement in Ukraine's surprise attack. "The operation in the Kursk region was also planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services," he said, despite Western powers denying involvement.
Russia threatens 'global war'
Patrushev said the efforts by the US have created "all the prerequisites for Ukraine to lose its sovereignty and lose part of its territories". Other Russian officials cast the incursion as a Ukrainian "terrorist invasion" that would not change the course of the war. A lawmaker said the incursion brought World War III a step closer.
Russian MP Mikhail Sheremet on Friday said the Western-backed Ukrainian incursion has brought the world close to an all-out global war, Russia's RIA news agency reported. "Considering the presence of Western military equipment, the use of Western ammunition and missiles in attacks on civilian infrastructure and irrefutable proof of foreigners' participation in the attack on Russian territory, one could come to the conclusion that the world is on the brink of a third world war," he said.
While the US and other Western powers said they were unaware of Ukraine's latest move, they deemed it as a protective decision in which it is appropriate for Kyiv to US equipment, said officials. However, they too are concerned by the impact of the attack that may lead to a global conflict.
(with inputs from agencies)
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