“Right to strike there too” –

After three days of fighting and rumors of territorial gains, Ukrainian authorities have admitted for the first time that they have launched an offensive in the southern Russian region of Kursk. The first to comment on what now appears to be an unprecedented attack was Ukrainian presidential advisor Mikhailo Podolyak: it is only “the consequence of Russian aggression, war is this,” he said. “Russia has always believed it could attack the territories of neighboring countries with impunity and hypocritically claim the inviolability of its own territory,” Podolyak denounced, while today pro-Russian authorities in Kherson, a Ukrainian region partially occupied by Moscow’s forces, announced the sighting of the first F-16 fighters sent by the West to the hostilities.

“Ukraine is the victim of illegal aggression and has the right to defend itself and strike the enemy, including on its territory,” a European Commission spokesperson said in Brussels, commenting on the offensive in Kursk. The Ukrainian army’s assault began on August 6 with about a thousand soldiers and armored vehicles, according to the Russian General Staff, which claims to have prevented the enemy from penetrating deep into the region. According to several analysts, the Ukrainian advance is concentrated around Sudzha, a town of about 5,500 inhabitants located about ten kilometers from the border and the last operational transshipment point for Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine. The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claims that Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 10 kilometers deep. Russian military bloggers with ties to the army have also reported significant progress, with some claiming that Ukrainian troops are partially in control of Sudzha.

For its part, Moscow continues to release limited information to the Defense Ministry bulletin, seeking a balance between denouncing what is effectively an escalation and a desire to avoid panic among the population. The military has announced that the Ukrainians have lost up to 660 men and 82 armored vehicles and has sent reinforcements supported by fighter jets and artillery to repel the attack in the region, where a state of emergency has been declared. Moscow claims that civilian targets have been targeted, with at least five people killed and 31 injured since the incursion began, with several thousand people evacuated on both sides of the border. The current attack appears unusual because of its alleged scale and because it appears to involve regular Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian fighters have already carried out several short incursions into Russia, claimed by units claiming to be Russians fighting in Ukrainian ranks. Kiev’s allies appeared surprised by the offensive, and Washington said it had contacted the Ukrainians for more information. The objectives of this operation are not yet clear, and experts have put forward several hypotheses: for some, the incursion could serve to lure Russian reserves away from the Kharkiv region in the northeast of Ukraine, where Russia launched an offensive in May. But the attack could also have a psychological effect, boosting the morale of the Ukrainians as they see their army harassing the Russians on their own soil. Others argue that if Ukraine manages to retain control of even small pockets of Russian territory, it could turn them into a card to play against Russia in hypothetical peace negotiations.