Russia is surprised by the counter-attacks by Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine has captured as much land of Russia in the last few days as the police army had captured in Ukraine in the last several months. The attack by Ukraine was started on 6 August when its soldiers attacked the Kursk region of Russia with a large convoy of tanks and aircraft.
Now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that his country’s army has taken full control of the city of Sudza located in the Kursk region of Russia. This is Ukraine’s most dangerous attack on Russia so far. Ukraine has even set up its military administrative office in the Kursk region. Ukraine says that its army is advancing from many places in Russian territory.
Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Sirsky said that they are continuously attacking Russia from this base. He said, ‘A military commandant’s office has been established in Sudja to maintain law and order and meet the basic needs of the population in the controlled areas.’
Oleksandr Sirsky said that Ukrainian troops have advanced 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) past Russian security forces and captured 1,150 square kilometers of territory and 82 settlements. However, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has announced that its army has no intention of permanently occupying the Russian territories it has captured.
Russian President Putin has accused Ukraine of attacking peaceful civilians and has announced a “suitable response. Putin called this move a “big provocative step”. He ordered the Russian army to “drive the enemy out of our territory. Russia has asked more than 1,20 lakh people to withdraw from the Kursk region.
In fact, last week there was a sudden attack on Russia’s western border region Kursk, due to which Russian authorities declared a state of emergency in the area. Earlier, Kursk’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov ordered the evacuation of the Glushkovo area, about 45 km (28 miles) northwest of Sudzha, as Ukrainian troops managed to reach here.
Sudzha is located next to a Russian gas terminal, a major hub for Russia’s gas shipments to Europe via Ukraine. This has led to speculation that one of Kiev’s goals may be to hurt Moscow’s revenue stream. Ukraine’s ground invasion has forced thousands of Russians from their homes and pushed Russia back into Sudzha.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian drones targeted four Russian airbases in the biggest attack of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed 117 large drones and four tactical missiles in Kursk and neighboring areas. Ukraine’s attack has become a major embarrassment for Russia. At the same time, this attack is the first attack by a foreign army on Russia since World War II, which indicates a significant change in Ukraine’s strategy.
A Ukrainian military commander told CNN that Ukraine has recaptured a key battlefront in Russian-occupied Crimea to halt Kiev’s advance. However, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in an update posted on Telegram on Thursday that it had recaptured the first village (the settlement of Krupets) from Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.
The fighting in Kursk has gradually moved closer to the nuclear power plant, prompting the UN nuclear agency to issue a statement urging both sides to “exercise maximum restraint. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has urged both sides to take measures “to avoid a nuclear accident with the potential for serious radiological consequences”.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)