Moscow’s Surprise: Ukrainian Forces Breach Russian Territory, Putin Accuses Kiev of ‘Provocation’
After months of steady advances in eastern Ukraine, Moscow’s troops faced a surprise attack from Kiev’s forces within Russian territory, marking the most significant such incursion since the conflict began.
According to Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, approximately one thousand Ukrainian soldiers, supported by armored vehicles, penetrated the Kursk region, but the offensive “was halted” with heavy losses. Nevertheless, fighting continues, with several Moscow-based military bloggers reporting advancements of several kilometers. Ukrainian authorities, however, remain silent for now.
Putin’s Concerns and Accusations
Vladimir Putin’s tense expression during a meeting of military and security officials, captured by major media outlets, reflects the escalating Russian concerns. The president accused Kiev of “a large-scale provocation” involving “indiscriminate bombardments, including missiles, on civilian facilities.”
Putin held a late-night phone call with the Kursk region’s governor, Alexei Smirnov, subsequently instructing relevant government agencies to “provide the necessary assistance to residents.”
Russian officials claim that Kiev’s artillery strikes before and during the attack resulted in at least 5 fatalities, including ambulance personnel, and 28 injuries, among them children. According to Smirnov, thousands of civilians are fleeing conflict zones, while hospitals face increased demand for blood donations to treat the wounded.
Across the border in Ukraine’s Sumy region, the governor announced the evacuation of around 6,000 people due to Russian shelling in retaliation for the incursion.
Historical Context and Escalation
Since the conflict’s outset in February 2022, there have been multiple attempts to infiltrate the neighboring Kursk and Belgorod regions, claimed by anti-Kremlin Russian military groups aligned with Kiev. However, the current attack appears to be the most extensive to date.
Gerasimov stated that Moscow deployed ground forces and air power to confront Ukrainian soldiers and bombarded their rear positions in Sumy. He claimed the killing of 100 Ukrainian soldiers, injuries to 215, and the destruction of 54 armored vehicles, including 7 tanks.
“The operation will be completed by defeating the enemy and reaching the state border,” the chief of staff declared, indicating the ongoing nature of the battle that commenced around 5:30 AM local time.
Several Russian military bloggers offer a more concerning narrative than Gerasimov. The Telegram channel Rybar, considered close to the armed forces, and some Ukrainian channels allege that Kiev’s forces advanced up to 25 kilometers inside Russian territory, capturing the settlement of Koreniovo. Other online sources raise even more alarming claims, including the possibility of Ukrainian forces targeting the Kursk region’s nuclear power plant, approximately 70 kilometers away.
Political Reactions and Diplomatic Tensions
The Ukrainian attack coincided with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s signing of measures extending martial law and general military mobilization in the country for at least another three months, until November 9th.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova linked these developments, asserting that Zelensky “sent Ukrainian citizens into the meat grinder at Kursk to quietly extend the deadly Ukrainian mobilization.” She further condemned the Kiev forces’ advance into Russian territory as “another act of terrorism against civilians.”
Elsewhere, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted two other Russian border regions, Belgorod and Voronezh, today, causing no casualties, while a source from Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed the downing of a Russian Mi-28 helicopter using a small drone in the Kursk region, reportedly the “first such instance” in the conflict.
