Russia Claims It Thwarted Ukraine Push to Expand Kursk Incursion

Russian forces claimed on Tuesday to have thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to expand its incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

The Kremlin's forces are also intensifying their attacks in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine had been making advances after the launch of a surprise incursion into Kursk on Aug. 6, which saw Kyiv take land both westward and northwestward in Kursk Oblast.

According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, a combination of Russian army units, fresh reserves, aircraft, drones, and artillery managed to prevent Ukrainian armored groups from advancing deeper into Russian territory near the settlements of Obshchy Kolodez, Snagost, Kauchuk, and Alexeyevsky in the Kursk region.

Russian forces have also responded by intensifying attacks in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's General Staff said Tuesday that over the previous 24 hours, Russian troops launched 52 assaults in the area of Pokrovsk, a town in Ukraine's Donetsk region that is close to the front line.

That's roughly double the number of daily attacks there a week ago.

Analysts suggest that Ukraine's push into Kursk may be an attempt to draw Russian forces away from the front lines in Ukraine.

If that was the intent, it appears not to have succeeded, as Moscow has increased pressure around Pokrovsk instead.

As the Ukrainian military's offensive into Russian territory enters its second week, Kyiv claims to have taken control of approximately 386 square miles of Russian land.

The specifics of the operation, however, remain shrouded in secrecy.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry insisted that Kyiv has no intention of occupying Russian territory, despite the ongoing offensive.

Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi emphasized that the objective was not territorial gain but rather the protection of Ukrainian land from Russian attacks launched from the Kursk region.

"Ukraine has no interest in taking over the Kursk region," Tykhyi told local media. "Our goal is to safeguard the lives of our people from the ongoing barrage of strikes coming from Russian soil."

The international community has shown varying degrees of support for Ukraine's right to defend itself by crossing into Russian territory.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed backing for the Ukrainian operation, though he noted that Kyiv had not consulted Warsaw before proceeding.

"What the Russian forces are doing in Ukraine amounts to genocide and inhumane crimes," Tusk stated. "Ukraine is fully justified in taking steps to paralyze Russia's military capabilities."

Ukraine's ally Germany gave the all clear to use weapons and equipment provided by the NATO member in its Kursk offensive.

The bold incursion, the largest attack on Russian soil since World War II, has rattled the Kremlin, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to convene a high-level meeting with his top defense officials on Monday.

Vladimir Putin appointed Aleksey Dyumin, a former Kremlin agent, to take charge of defense in the Kursk region, seemingly replacing his army chief Valery Gerasimov's duties in the area, according to an official and multiple Russian pro-war military bloggers.

The Ukrainian military reportedly managed to amass thousands of troops on the Russian border without detection, a feat that has stunned Western analysts.

Russian officials report that around 121,000 people have been evacuated from the affected areas in Kursk.

Footage aired on Russian state television showed displaced residents receiving aid, while volunteers distributed food and water.

Putin accused Ukraine of attempting to stir unrest within Russia, but vowed that the effort would fail.

In response to the intensifying conflict, Ukraine's General Staff announced on Tuesday the establishment of a 20-kilometer (12-mile) restricted access zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border in the northeastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk.

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