On Wednesday, Russia reported continued clashes with Ukrainian troops who had crossed into the Kursk border region the day before. In response, the regional governor declared a state of emergency and increased security around a nearby nuclear power plant.
Russia declares state of emergency border region, as Ukraine attacks on Kursk
What is Ukraine trying to achieve and what will happen next?@SaroyaHem speaks to @bneeditor, Founder and Editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews, for more insights pic.twitter.com/mEqHyexrZh
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Kursk’s acting Governor, Alexei Smirnov, announced, “To address the consequences of enemy forces entering the region, I decided to introduce a state of emergency in the Kursk region starting August 7.” This statement was made on Wednesday evening.
During a video conference, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, informed President Vladimir Putin that “a unit of Ukraine’s armed forces, numbering up to 1,000 personnel, launched an offensive” in the Kursk region on Tuesday morning.
The Russian Defense Ministry posted on social media that while “the enemy’s movement further into Russian territory has been prevented,” operations to eliminate Ukrainian army units were still ongoing.
President Putin accused Ukraine of conducting a “large-scale provocation” in the region, leading to the reported evacuation of several thousand people.
Governor Smirnov commended the region’s resistance, stating, “In the last 24 hours, our region has heroically resisted attacks,” and encouraged local residents to donate blood.
According to Russian authorities, Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, launched an assault on Russian border forces in the Kursk settlements of Nikolayevo-Daryino and Oleshnya, located just across the border from Ukraine’s Sumy region. At least five people were reported killed, and 24 others injured.
The advancing troops reportedly reached the Russian town of Sudzha, which hosts the last operational trans-shipment point for Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine.
🇺🇦 🇷🇺 #Russia has accused #Ukraine of crossing the border into its #Kursk region and carrying out a massive #attack on Tuesday, prompting authorities to declare a state of #emergency in the region.
FRANCE 24’s @camille_knight1 has the details ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/0VJq5aDH1e
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) August 8, 2024
In response to the threat, Russia deployed National Guard troops to protect the Kursk nuclear power plant, located just 40 miles from the Ukrainian border. The plant, which has four reactor blocks and a total output of nearly two gigawatts, supplies electricity to Kursk and 19 other regions. Additional forces were also sent to combat sabotage and reconnaissance activities in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, as announced by the national guard.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that “border defense troops, together with military units of the FSB border force,” were “repelling attacks and inflicting fire damage on the enemy.”
Ukraine has not confirmed it is conducting a fresh offensive in the Kursk region. However, Ukraine’s general staff has reported Russian attacks on border villages in Ukraine.
In his daily televised remarks on Wednesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not mention the reported incursion into Kursk but stated, “The more pressure put on Russia, the aggressor which brought war to Ukraine, the closer we come to peace. A just peace achieved through just strength.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Ukraine ordered the evacuation of 23 settlements in the Sumy border region, affecting around 6,000 people.
When asked about the reported Ukrainian raid, US National Security spokesman John Kirby said Washington would be “reaching out to our Ukrainian counterparts to get a little better understanding.” He added, “I’ll let the Ukrainians speak to their operations, one way or the other. We’re going to stay focused on making sure they have what they need to defend themselves.”
JUST IN: 🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Russia’s Kursk border region declares State of Emergency after Ukrainian attack. pic.twitter.com/MjFcuukYdj
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) August 7, 2024
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several incursions into Russian territory. In May 2023, the Ukrainian-based Freedom of Russia Legion, composed of Russian citizens, conducted raids into Russia’s Belgorod region, assisted by the Russian Volunteer Corps unit, also made up of Russian nationals. In March 2023, the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for a raid in the Russian border region of Bryansk. Neither group has commented on the recent attacks reported in the Kursk region.
Major Points:
- Kursk’s acting Governor Alexei Smirnov declared a state of emergency in the region due to Ukrainian forces crossing the border.
- Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported that up to 1,000 Ukrainian troops launched an offensive in the Kursk region.
- The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Ukrainian troops’ advancement into Russian territory was halted, but efforts to eliminate these units were ongoing.
- National Guard troops were deployed to protect the Kursk nuclear power plant, and additional forces were sent to combat sabotage and reconnaissance in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
- Several thousand people were evacuated from the region, with reports of at least five killed and 24 injured due to the clashes.
Kirk Volo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
