Ukraine , had been weighing some options for an assault that may impact the administration in , Moscow , and put President , Vladimir Putin , on the backfoot before storming across the border next year, according to a Western official acquainted with the planning.
A cross-border attack had been considered for some time prior to the surprise intrusion into Russia’s northern Kursk place a week ago, the official said on condition of anonymity, under the condition of anonymity, with Ukraine’s defense on the defense and Kremlin causes making marginal benefits this time.
The top commander of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government now claims that the military has taken control of the border region’s 1, 000 square kilometers ( 386 square miles ) since the attack started, with Putin having to deal with the more than 120, 000 residents who have fled their homes as the incursion continues into the next week.  , The Institute for the Study of War , put the Ukrainian advance at about 800 square kilometers.
While President Joe Biden’s administration and the , European Union , have given their blessing as the first military presence on Russian soil since World War II unfolds,  , NATO , allies have so far withheld judgment. The leadership in , Kyiv , did n’t share specific information on the Kursk effort until it was well underway, according to a Western intelligence official who declined to be identified.
NATO , allies do n’t harbor reservations on the incursion, though consider it unlikely that Ukrainian forces will be able to hold Russian territory— even if it takes weeks for , Moscow , to force them out of Kursk, the official said. The action is at least crucial to show that , Kyiv , can challenge the Kremlin, according to a , NATO , official familiar with briefings on the Kursk action.
Potential risks
The wait-and-see strategy coincides with the apparent reluctance of Ukrainian allies to make comments on the move. A fighting force that has crossed the eastern Donbass region to the mouth of the Dnipro river has a clear risk of losing. It has a front line of more than 1, 000 kilometers ( 620 miles ).
According to a government official, pulling experienced troops out of the battle as Russian forces advance strategically could make Ukrainians more vulnerable.
Still, while the Kursk attack took , Moscow , and Western partners alike off guard, the planning for such an incursion implies that the move is part of a broader strategic plan.
Ukrainian forces have launched attacks on energy facilities well inside Russian territory, prompting warnings from , Washington , against using , U. S.  , hardware for deep strikes.  , Kyiv , has also overseen raids into Russia’s Belgorod region, next to Kursk, though with Russian anti-Kremlin volunteers.
This month’s attack is consistent with Washington’s policy on Ukraine’s use of American-supplied weapons to defend itself,  , Deputy Pentagon Press , Secretary , Sabrina Singh , told reporters last week. The E. U. also called the operation legitimate defense against a war of aggression.
” We support , Ukraine , in a war that is a defensive war and there is nothing to discuss here”, Polish Prime Minister , Donald Tusk , told reporters in , Warsaw , on Tuesday. ” I am aware, and we are all aware of the dangers.”
Attacks have also involved sabotage. Last year, a freight train exploded as it traveled through a tunnel northeast of Baikal, extending its scope far into Siberia.
But the Kursk action marks a new order of magnitude, involving a swathe of Ukraine’s grounds forces. Zelenskyy, who on Monday confirmed the attack for the first time, said , Kyiv , now controlled areas from which , Russia , had been launching strikes on the northeast Sumy region.
” Drop out the enemy,” you say?
” Our operations are purely a security issue for , Ukraine, to free areas near the border from Russian troops”, Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation.
Putin has vowed to “drive out the enemy” and secure the border. During a briefing Monday, the Russian leader cut off Kursk’s acting regional governor, who said Ukraine’s military had taken 28 towns and villages and forced the exodus of a sixth of the region’s population.
” You can tell us about the socio-economic situation and about helping people”, Putin told the official,  , Alexey Smirnov, as he signaled that fighting within , Russia , may spread.
Russia , continued its attacks on Tuesday. Power and gas supplies to areas of Sumy, Ukraine’s capital city, were impacted by overnight missile strikes across Kursk’s border.
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