Vladimir Putin gave the Russian commander in chief of Russia’s military, General Valery Gerasimov, a big stare and a look of exasperation.
Gerasimov himself frustrated, faced unsettling news from the southern Kursk region. The video, released by the Kremlin on Wednesday, revealed a visibly displeased Russian president, grappling with an unprecedented situation.
At that very moment, hundreds of Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and protected by air defenses, were advancing into the Kursk region. Russian soldiers were surrendering, and hundreds of civilians from the town of Sudzha and its surroundings were fleeing, taking whatever they could carry.
This marked an unprecedented Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory in the two-and-a-half years of ongoing conflict. Putin addressed the Kremlin, condemning the incursion as “another major provocation” by Kyiv. The region’s acting governor declared a state of emergency, describing the situation as “very difficult.”
The attack on Kursk was not just a military operation; it was a significant blow to Russian pride, challenging the nation’s self-image as a protector of the motherland. The audacious Ukrainian offensive was described by one analyst as “doing the least obvious thing.”
Despite losing ground steadily in eastern Donetsk, Ukraine chose to deploy experienced brigades into Russian territory. The move appeared aimed at embarrassing the Kremlin, forcing the Russian Defense Ministry to reallocate resources, and delivering a much-needed morale boost to the Ukrainian home front.
George Barros of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted that the Ukrainians “achieved operational surprise against great odds and are currently exploiting Russia’s lack of readiness in its border areas.” This tactic had proven effective before, such as in September 2022 when Ukrainian forces swiftly recaptured much of the occupied Kharkiv region.
The Russian regiment assigned to defend this part of the border abandoned its positions. Several dozen Russian soldiers were captured, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to express “special gratitude to our warriors and units who are replenishing the ‘exchange fund’ by taking the occupiers as captives and thus helping to free our people from Russian captivity.”
A Russian reinforcement column was struck by a missile near the town of Rylsk on Thursday night, possibly after Ukrainian forces hacked into traffic cameras along the route. Russian blogger Aleksander Kots, who drove the route, observed that “there are cameras working along the entire highway. They are literally blinking their lights.”
With minimal resistance and Russian communications reportedly jammed by Ukrainian electronic warfare, the Ukrainian brigades advanced over 20 kilometers (12 miles) into Kursk within the first two days of the operation.
Thanks to good intelligence, advanced Ukrainian units managed to push even further, bypassing Russian defenses on a chaotic battlefield. By Friday, Russian authorities had reportedly lost control of at least 250 square kilometers of territory, according to several independent analyses and CNN’s mapping.
This was not just empty Russian countryside; among the areas that fell under Ukrainian control was a significant natural gas transit hub near the border, through which Russia supplies substantial volumes of natural gas to Europe.
