– For the first time, the Kursk region has been hit by Western missiles, probably American Himars missiles, says a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Maria Zakharova, Western rockets were used in Friday’s attack on a strategically important bridge.
– As a result of the attack against the bridge over the Sejm River in the Glushkovo district, which was completely destroyed, volunteers who assisted in the evacuation of the civilian population were killed, she says on Telegram.
Unclear
Ukraine claims that its forces have taken control of an area of 1,150 square kilometers since they crossed the border and moved into the Kursk region. This has not been confirmed from other sources.
The Kursk region is around 30,000 square kilometers in size.
How long Ukrainian forces can possibly hold on to areas on the Russian side of the border is an open question, according to military experts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has stated that the country will establish a command post in Sudzja, but it will probably be subject to extensive Russian attacks.
Not slowed down
Western experts are unsure what Ukraine wants to achieve with the attack into Russia.
There is no indication that Russia has withdrawn soldiers from the front in the Donbas region, or that the advance of Russian forces inside Ukraine has slowed down.
Russia still controls about a fifth of Ukraine.
Accusing NATO
One of President Vladimir Putin’s advisers, Nikolay Patrushev, claimed before the weekend that the West and NATO were directly involved in the planning of the Ukrainian attack.
– Without their participation and direct support, Ukraine would not have ventured into Russian territory, he told the newspaper Izvestia.
The US rejects the accusation and maintains that it was not informed in advance of Ukraine’s plan either.
The White House emphasizes that Ukraine has the right under international law to attack targets in Russia, including with weapons and military equipment it has received from the United States.
Western weapons
Several other Western countries maintain the same and both British and German tanks have been observed inside the Kursk region.
Norway has donated 30 tanks and other weapon systems to Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defense will not say whether conditions have been set for their use.
“For security reasons, we do not comment on any conditions relating to Norwegian military support to Ukraine”, said special adviser Birgitte Frisch to Our Country Thursday.
“The right to self-defense does not stop at the border with Russia,” she stressed.
Destructions
The Ukrainian attack inside Russia has resulted in great destruction, say journalists who have visited the Kursk area accompanied by Ukrainian forces.
In the village of Sudzja, which is just over 10 kilometers from the border, they saw a shattered statue of the Soviet Union’s founder Vladimir Lenin, destroyed buildings and road signs full of bullet holes.
Burnt-out Russian tanks stood on the roadside outside the village.
Russian authorities claim to have evacuated 120,000 civilians from the area. Ukraine, for its part, claims to have captured at least 100 Russian soldiers. The information has not been confirmed.
Gas pipelines
Some have pointed to Sudzja’s strategically important role as a hub for pipelines transporting gas from Western Siberia to Europe.
However, these pipelines pass with Kyiv’s permission through Ukraine, which could therefore easily have closed them on its own territory.
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2024-08-19 02:48:51
