Escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war seems to be caused by the latest developments after Ukraine’s counterattack on Russian territory, with its army currently advancing up to 10 kilometers inside the Russian border.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today (8/8) praised the Ukrainian army for its ability to “surprise” and achieve results, making an indirect reference to the situation in the Russian Kursk region, where according to Moscow, Kiev has launched an attack along the border.
The invasion
Around a thousand Ukrainian soldiers, backed by tanks, armored vehicles and drones, invaded Russian territory, with the region’s governor declaring a state of emergency, citing a “terrorist act”. Fighting in the region is fierce, while Medvedev has called for an extension of the Russian invasion of Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv.
The Ukrainian army has advanced up to 10 kilometers inside Russia, the Institute for the Study of War estimates in its analysis.
In Russia’s Kursk region, fighting continues between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers following the Ukrainian invasion there early Tuesday in what is considered one of the biggest Ukrainian attacks on Russia in the two-year war.
In the United States, the White House stressed that it had not been informed in advance by Kiev.
The communication between Washington and Kyiv
The White House plans to contact Kiev to find out the goals of the invasion of Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said Wednesday (8/7) in response to questions from reporters. At the same time, he emphasized that the American government did not know in advance about the operation.
“We will be contacting the Ukrainian military to learn more about the targets,” the White House spokeswoman said in response to a question about the operation that has forced thousands of civilians from their homes.
It is worth noting that there is a large natural gas transportation hub in the area, while Ukraine’s natural gas transportation company stated that Russian gas is being channeled normally to European consumers. Just 60 kilometers to the northeast is the Kursk nuclear power plant. Some analysts, however, speak of a new war front and do not exclude the goal of advancing towards the station.
Normally the transport of natural gas to Europe
Meanwhile, the transit route used for Russian gas deliveries to Europe through Ukraine is still operating, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushenko said on Thursday (8/8), following reports of hostilities at the gas transit station of Sunja.
He also said that Ukraine had not communicated with Russia about the situation in gas transit.
Russia said on Wednesday it was waging heavy fighting against Ukrainian forces that infiltrated near the major gas transit hub of Sunja, in one of the biggest incursions into Russian territory since the war began.
Sunja in the Kursk region of Russia is the only point of entry of Russian natural gas into the Ukrainian system for onward transport to Europe.
Ukraine’s gas transmission operator told Reuters earlier today that Russian gas continued to flow normally to Europe via Ukraine.
The operator later said Russia’s Gazprom planned to send about 41.7 million cubic meters of natural gas through Ukraine tomorrow Friday, up from 37.25 million cubic meters planned for today.
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