Ex-Russian Official Says Putin's Handling of Kursk Incursion a 'Disgrace'

A former top Russian official has criticized President Vladimir Putin's handling of Ukraine's incursion into Kursk, as Kyiv's forces continue to hold substantial territory in the Russian region three weeks into the surprise offensive.

Andrei Fedorov, a former deputy foreign minister of Russia and ex-adviser to both the prime minister and vice president of Russia, voiced his frustrations during an appearance on state TV show Mesto Vstrechi (Meeting Place).

Journalist Julia Davis, founder of the Russian Media Monitor, shared an excerpt of the broadcast on X (formerly Twitter). "Meanwhile in Russia: all hell breaks loose, when Russia's former Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Fyodorov says he is ashamed of the way Russia's invasion of Ukraine is proceeding, while the hosts and other pundits desperately try to shut him up," she wrote on Tuesday.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment by email.

Kyiv launched its lightning offensive on August 6 and was quickly reported to have seized more territory in the Kursk region than Russia has captured in Ukraine since the beginning of 2024.

Ukraine's reported success in the region has forced Russia's military to deploy additional resources to Kursk, diverting manpower away from the war it started in across the border in February 2022. Putin has ordered his forces to push back Ukrainian troops from Kursk by October 1, according to RBC Ukraine.

"Let's not forget that Ukrainian troops have remained on the territory of the Kursk region for 21 days," said Fedorov.

He was interrupted by host Ivan Trushkin, who asked: "Oy, are you counting days?"

"Yes, I'm counting them, because this is a disgrace. Let me also remind you that 84 days from now, it will be 1,000 days of war, this is also a disgrace," Fedorov replied.

"Is this your personal opinion Andrei Vladimirovich? Or did comrades from Kyiv ask you to say this?" Trushkin said.

"This is my personal point of view. I remember the way the Great Patriotic War was fought," the former Russian deputy foreign minister told the host.

"My father fought in it. Today, he would have been ashamed of what's going on and of the way our army is working," he continued.

"Let me reiterate, unfortunately, that once again, we are harboring illusions towards Ukraine, that everything is falling apart there, and so on."

A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said a week into the incursion that Kyiv has no interest in "taking territory" in Kursk.

"The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace, the sooner Ukrainian raids on Russian territory will stop. As long as Putin continues the war, he will receive such responses from Ukraine," the spokesperson told reporters in Kyiv on August 13.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday that the Kursk offensive is one aspect of his victory plan, which he hopes to present to President Joe Biden at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.