Ukraine seems to be making progress on Loveland, has taken control of gas facilities too…Putin caught off guard

A major offensive up to 20km into Russian territory
Ukraine: Protecting Gazprom’s key resources
It seems that they are trying to take the lead in preparing for the ceasefire talks.
Well, a path … Ukraine: North Korean missiles hit

Putin attends a security conference
On the 9th, Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) arrives to chair a meeting of the Security Council at his residence in Novogaryovo, near Moscow. On the fourth day since Ukraine started a major war on the Russian mainland, according to reports, Russia considered the situation of the war and sent additional troops and weapons to the front. Novoogaryovo = AP News

Five days after Ukraine entered the largest ground force on the Russian mainland since Russia invaded in February 2022, an investigation found it had infiltrated as far as 20km into the Kursk region in Russia. During this process, the Ukrainian military took control of the resources of the Russian state energy company Gazprom. In addition, debris believed to be a missile was found at a nearby nuclear power plant, increasing tensions between the two countries over control of the nuclear power plant.

There are predictions that this war could enter a new phase as Ukraine, which had been at a disadvantage with about 18% of the territory​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ of Russia, making a surprise attack on the Russian mainland and making progress. There is also analysis that Ukraine invaded the Russian mainland to increase its bargaining power in preparation for the recently discussed ‘ceasefire questions’ at home and abroad.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially acknowledged the attack on the Russian mainland in a speech on the 9th, saying, “Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirsky reported the situation on the front line and what we did to push the war into the aggressor’s territory. “

● “Russia’s blackmail card: taking control of gas resources”

According to Reuters on the 10th, Russian troops were engaged in a fierce battle with thousands of Ukrainian troops 20km inside Kursk Oblast, the border region with Ukraine (western Russia). The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on this day, “Fierce fighting is going on around Malaya Lokhnya, Olgobka, and Ivashkovskoye, 10 to 20 kilometers from inside Russia. ” Defense-minded Russia announced on the 10th that it had introduced an anti-terrorist operation system in three border areas, including Kursk Oblast, Belgorod Oblast, and Bryansk Oblast, since the previous day and have evacuated more than 76,000 people. Russia said the Ukrainian military carried out an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) airstrike on an airbase in Lipetsk Oblast the previous day. Ukrainian media released a video filmed by its troops in the village of Foroz, Belgorod Region, on the 10th, but the time of the filming was not confirmed.

Reuters assessed the Ukrainian invasion as the largest attack on Russian territory since Russia invaded in February 2022. Ukrainian troops entered Russia on the 6th. The British Financial Times (FT) believed that, according to the calculations of military analysts, the Ukrainian army advanced more than 20 km into Russian territory, and Russia lost about 350 km2 (approx. on 58% of the Seoul area). CNN reported that Russia lost control of at least 250 square kilometers (about 41% of Seoul’s area). However, many analyzes say that it is difficult to say that the Ukrainian military is in full control of this area.

Ukraine also seems to have acquired major energy resources. According to the FT, the Ukrainian military announced in a video that Russia had taken possession of the Gazprom facility, which supplies natural gas to Europe, and the nearby village of Suza. In the early days of the war, Russia used natural gas supplies as a way to pressure the West, saying, “If you side with Ukraine, we’ll cut off gas supplies.” A nuclear power plant located 50km away from the combat zone appears to have been affected. Russia’s official TASS news agency reported that fragments and debris believed to be part of a missile intercepted on the 8th were found at the Kursk nuclear power plant.

● This appears to be a measure to increase the negotiating power of a ceasefire.

It is also possible that Ukraine will pursue an invasion of the Russian mainland in order to use it as leverage in ceasefire negotiations, the need of which has been mentioned regularly recently. Initially, Ukraine insisted that there would be no negotiated ceasefire until Russian troops withdrew completely from the country. However, as the country has recently shown a decline in the battle with the Russian army and the people’s war weariness is increasing, President Zelenskyy has made comments suggesting that negotiations could to be there

It is clear that President Vladimir Putin, who was caught off guard, looks embarrassed. CNN reported, “Ukraine humiliated Putin with bold cross-border attack. He also said that President Putin recently looked at the Chief of Staff of the Russian Army Valeriy Gerasimov with a cold eye and a strange expression. Russia is also trying to counterattack. According to the Ukrainian authorities on the 11th, two people were killed and three people were injured in major cities, including Kiev, due to a Russian missile strike. Authorities said the missiles launched by the Russian military included four missiles from North Korea.

Paris = Journalist Jo Eun-ah achim@donga.com
Reporter Yunjin Kim kyj@donga.com