This is a first. On Saturday night, after the surprise offensive by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged his intention to “move the war” to Vladimir Putin’s territory. “Today, on several occasions, Commander Syrsky (chief of the armed forces, editor’s note) has reported on the front, our actions and on the movement of the war to the territory of the aggressor,” he said in his daily address.
For its part, Russia was forced to evacuate 76,000 people to safe places. Faced with this “unprecedented attempt to destabilize the situation”, the Russian authorities announced on the night of Friday to Saturday the establishment of the “anti-terrorist operation regime” in the regions of Kursk, Belgorod and Briansk, all bordering Ukraine.
Key information to remember
⇒ Ukrainian incursion seeks to “stretch” Russian forces
⇒ Russia establishes “anti-terrorist” regime to repel Ukrainian incursion
⇒ Two dead following airstrike on kyiv
Ukrainian incursion aims to “stretch” Russian forces and “destabilize the situation in Russia”
“Thousands” of Ukrainian troops are taking part in an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region aimed at “stretching out” the Kremlin’s forces and “destabilising the situation in Russia”, a senior Ukrainian security official told AFP on Saturday evening.
“We are on the offensive. The goal is to stretch the enemy’s positions, inflict maximum losses on them, destabilize the situation in Russia – because they are unable to protect their own borders – and move the war to Russian territory,” he said, adding that the operation had “raised the morale” of Ukrainian soldiers.
“We are in contact with our Ukrainian counterparts and we are working to better understand what they are doing, what their goals are, what their strategy is,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council of the American presidency. A few days earlier, Washington said it supported the “common sense” actions taken by Ukraine to stop the attacks by Russian forces.
Russia establishes ‘anti-terror’ regime to repel Ukrainian incursion
Russia on Saturday imposed an “anti-terrorist” regime in three regions bordering Ukraine, on the fifth day of a Ukrainian armed incursion into the Kursk region, acknowledged by Zelensky on Saturday evening. This measure notably involves “restrictions on the movement of vehicles and pedestrians in the streets and on the roads” and on the use of means of communication.
The Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom is clearly concerned: it has warned that “the actions of the Ukrainian army” pose “a direct threat” to the Kursk nuclear power plant. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, had already called on Friday for “maximum restraint in order to avoid a nuclear accident.”
Two dead, including a child, in a missile attack on kyiv last night
A 35-year-old man and his four-year-old son were killed on Saturday night by falling missile debris during a Russian attack on Kiev, Ukrainian rescue services said. Three people were also seriously injured after the debris crashed into a residential building in the Brovary district in the eastern suburbs of the Ukrainian capital, the source said.
A large part of the country was under air alert during the night, including kyiv, where the first explosions were heard late Saturday. On the Telegram messaging service, the military administration of kyiv had indicated that the anti-aircraft defense had been activated, for fear of Russian reprisals in response to the incursion, still ongoing, in the Russian region of Kursk.
Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on several Russian regions
Alexander Goussevgovernor of Voronezh oblast, Alexei Smirnovacting governor of Kursk Oblast, and Vyacheslav Gladkovgovernor of Belgorod Oblast announce that their regions have been targeted by a drone and missile attack on the night of Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 August. One of the downed missiles crashed into a residential building in the Kursk Oblast, injuring 13 people, according to TASS agency.