Ukrainian Military Continues Advancing Into Kursk on Third Day; Locals Being Evacuated, According to Russia
The White House stated that it was not informed in advance about the armed incursion into the Russian region.
Residents in parts of Russia’s western Kursk region have been evacuated due to the ongoing Ukrainian cross-border assault, now in its third day as of Aug. 8.
About 3,000 residents living near the border were evacuated, with half of them currently in temporary shelters, according to Belostotsky.
In the early hours of Aug. 6, hundreds of Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, entered Russia’s western Kursk region, as reported by Russia’s defense ministry.
The region, about 18,500 square miles in size, shares a border of approximately 150 miles with northeastern Ukraine.
On Aug. 7, Russia’s defense ministry announced that it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to capture the border town of Sudzha, a critical transit point for Russian natural gas.
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The defense ministry stated that Russian forces were engaged in “eliminating Ukrainian armed formations in the Sudzha and Korenevo districts … directly neighboring the Russia–Ukraine border.”
Continual “active operations,” including airstrikes, missile bombardments, and artillery assaults, have successfully halted the enemy’s progress, according to the ministry.
Nonetheless, Russia’s National Guard has enforced increased security at Kursk’s nuclear power plant, situated approximately 35 miles northeast of Sudzha.
On the evening of Aug. 7, Alexey Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk, declared a region-wide state of emergency due to persistent “infiltration” by “enemy forces.”
The subsequent day, Russia’s defense ministry reported the loss of 660 Ukrainian troops and 82 armored vehicles since the commencement of the raid.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian forces remain present in the region, as per the ministry.
“The operation to eliminate Ukrainian armed formations is ongoing,” as stated in a ministry communique.
The authenticity of the ministry’s claims could not be independently confirmed by The Epoch Times.
Kyiv has refrained from extensive commentary on the cross-border assault.
However, on Aug. 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, alluding to the ongoing raid, lauded the Ukrainian military for its ability “to create surprises.”
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