International

Ukraine-Russia Unrest: They Must Feel War Consequences – Zelensky

Published

5 months ago

Aug 9, 2024.

Three days into Ukraine’s cross-border offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized the need for Moscow to experience the repercussions of its actions.

In his Thursday evening address, Zelensky stated that, “Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done,” without explicitly mentioning the ongoing Ukrainian offensive.

Zelensky expressed confidence in Ukraine’s ability to achieve its objectives, noting, “Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals. And we did not choose to achieve our goals in the war.”

The Russian government reported that on Tuesday morning, around 1,000 Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and armoured vehicles, crossed into its territory, marking one of the most significant incursions on Russian soil since the conflict began.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of staging a “major provocation.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ukrainian officials have largely remained silent about the details of the offensive, making it difficult to ascertain the full extent of the events on the ground.

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“Everyone can see that the Ukrainian army knows how to surprise [and] achieve results,” Zelensky remarked earlier on Thursday, again avoiding direct reference to the assault.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that it was closely monitoring the situation at Kursk’s nuclear plant, as reported by Russia’s state-owned news agency, RIA-Novosti.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry declared on Thursday that its forces were continuing to target and destroy Ukrainian units with airstrikes, rockets, and artillery fire.

The ministry also stated that Russian reinforcements had been deployed to the region.

The Institute for the Study of War, a respected think tank, shared geo-located footage showing that Ukrainian armoured vehicles had advanced up to 10 kilometres into the Kursk region within the first two days of the incursion.

Amid growing domestic scrutiny, Russia’s military leadership faces criticism from pro-war Telegram channels, which have questioned the Kremlin’s portrayal of the situation.

The influential Rybar Telegram channel criticized Russia’s top military officials, claiming that for two months, crucial information was sent to “useless headquarters” without prompt action being taken.

In a public video call with President Putin on Thursday, Kursk regional governor Alexei Smirnov reported that efforts to evacuate civilians to other Russian regions were being hindered by ongoing Ukrainian shelling.

Smirnov’s Telegram account continued to warn Kursk residents of missile strikes throughout Thursday night and into Friday morning.

The Russian defence ministry announced on Friday morning that it had intercepted and destroyed 75 UAV missiles over various regions, including Kursk.

Additionally, Russian state news agencies reported a fire at a military airfield in the neighbouring Lipetsk region, although the cause of the fire and its connection to the fighting in Kursk remained unclear.

In Lipetsk, a red threat level alert was issued but later lifted on Friday morning. Regional governor Igor Artamonov confirmed that an energy infrastructure facility had been damaged, leading to power supply disruptions.

Local authorities in regions near Kursk, on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border, advised residents to evacuate for their safety.

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