Answering a BBC question about the fighting in the Kursk region, opposition Verkhovna Rada deputy from the European Solidarity party Alexei Goncharenko said: “We are trying to regain the initiative.”
He gave interview BBC World Service's Newshour programme, but his words do not represent the position of Ukraine's leadership, which has not commented on the events for the second day. Goncharenko said:
“Militarily, we are trying to regain the initiative. Also, Russia now needs to send troops to the region, which will hopefully reduce their attacks on eastern Ukraine.”
According to the politician, the raid in the Kursk region is also a signal to Ukraine's Western allies: “We are showing the world that it should not be afraid of escalation or Putin's reaction. There is no reaction. For the first time since World War II, Russian territory is occupied, and Putin has not taken up nuclear weapons.”
Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region due to fighting on the border, the publication writes. Acting Governor of the Kursk region Alexey Smirnov announced the introduction of the state of emergency emergency situation (latest videos). From his message on the telegram channel, it follows that this regime will be in effect throughout the region:
“The difficult operational situation in the border areas of Kursk Oblast remains. In order to eliminate the consequences of enemy forces entering the region's territory, a decision was made to introduce a state of emergency in Kursk Oblast from August 7.”
More Stories
Lebanese: 'We are paying for the war between Hezbollah, Israel and Iran'
Explosions at the ammunition depot in Toropets – what was stored there
White House acknowledges Zelensky's peace plan "realistic" and ponders his contribution to it (video)