Battleground between the Ukrainian and Russian armed forces is Kursk in Russia for the fourth day after the surprise attack of the Ukrainians who have managed to break the defense line and enter 10 kilometers into the Russian territory.
Drone raid on an airbase
Overnight, a Russian air force base was engulfed in flames in the Lipetsk region, nearly 300 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, following a drone strike.
“Attention! Lipetsk became the target of a massive drone attack,” Mr. Artamonov announced via Telegram. “Energy infrastructure was damaged” resulting in power outages, he added later, assuring that most of the affected households had already been restored.
The regional governor declared a state of emergency in the municipality of the regional capital of the same name, while ordering the immediate evacuation of the residents of four villages on its outskirts “for their safety” – the measure concerns 416 households. He also asked the residents of the city of Lipetsk to remain in their homes until the end of the alarm.
Another Ukrainian drone raid was reported in the Belgorod region, which neighbors Ukraine. According to regional governor Vychislav Gladkov, Russian air defenses shot down 29 unmanned attack aircraft and property damage was reported, but no injuries.
What Ukraine is after
The invasion of the Russian territory by the Ukrainian troops may not change the image of the war for the time being, but it can certainly serve individual goals from the side of Kiev. Initially, Volodymyr Zelensky is keeping alive the interest in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict at a time when the planet has turned its eyes to the Middle East.
Even Kiev may seek to attract Russian forces to the region. Russia had launched a cross-border offensive of its own in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, an advance that has slowed since Kiev was effectively given permission to use Western missiles against targets inside Russia.
Of course, it is possible that Ukraine’s fears of a similar Russian attack in the northern region of Sumy were well-founded. Thus, one of the objectives could be to send Russian reserves to the Kursk region to weaken operations in other regions such as Donetsk where Russian attacks have intensified.
Also, although militarily the attack by the Ukrainians cannot be considered big, a Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory is a blow to President Putin. On the contrary, it boosts the profile of the Ukrainian president, who is facing problems both operationally and politically.
“Everyone can see that the Ukrainian army knows how to surprise. And he knows how to achieve results,” said Ukrainian President Zelensky, praising the Ukrainian army.
Finally, Kiev may thus want to pressure Moscow in order to come to the negotiating table. “The more pressure is put on the aggressor who brought the war to Ukraine,” said President Zelensky, “the closer peace will be,” and this position also gives an explanation.
With information from BBC, The Guardian
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