Why Ukraine entered the territory of the Russian Federation – Kyiv explained

On Saturday evening, Ukrainian security agencies responded to a question from AFP about why Ukrainian troops were brought into Russia.

How writes The BBC said the aim of these actions is to “stretch” and “destabilise” Russia, the official told the BBC on condition of anonymity:

“We are on the offensive. The goal is to stretch the enemy's positions, inflict maximum losses and destabilize the situation in Russia, since it is unable to defend its own border.”

Although the Russian military had previously stated that approximately 1,000 soldiers were taking part in the Ukrainian Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region, the AFP source assured that there were many more. He also noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' invasion of the Kursk region had significantly raised morale among Ukrainians:

“This has significantly raised our fighting spirit, the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian army, state and society. This operation has shown that we can go on the offensive, move forward.”

The AFP source also said Ukraine would “strictly comply with international humanitarian law” during its invasion of Russia and had no plans to annex any territory:

“It is very important that Ukraine does not violate any conventions. We strictly observe humanitarian law: we do not execute prisoners, we do not rape women, we do not loot.”

He also acknowledged that Ukraine's invasion of Russian territory has not weakened the offensive of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, the Russians are not withdrawing troops from their positions, although the intensity attacks decreased slightly. At the same time experts The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) points out today that the offensive by Ukrainian troops in the Russian Kursk region allowed the Defense Forces to at least temporarily seize the initiative on one section of the front and continue the confrontation throughout the entire territory of military operations.

Experts point out that Moscow's response could require Russian military commanders to consider personnel and logistical requirements for border defense as part of a campaign plan across the entire war zone, and could therefore impose long-term constraints on operational planning that Russia has not previously faced.

The Times, meanwhile, notes that the invasion of Russia is Zelensky's riskiest decision. Key points:

• This counteroffensive has already shocked the world.
• The operation had been secretly planned for several months and took Moscow by surprise.
• The Ukrainian Armed Forces allocated for this operation amount to between 6,000 and 10,000 troops.
• The military leadership is ready to risk valuable soldiers and equipment to achieve success in this direction.

Yesterday evening, August 11, Agence France Presse reported that “dozens of armored Ukrainian vehicles with a white triangle are crossing the border in Sumy Oblast.”

In the border area, journalists saw military equipment of various types, marked with a triangle. It is used to identify equipment that is used in the adjacent Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

There are a lot of captured Russians, as they demonstrate video in the networks. Among them are conscripts, but not only. Yesterday evening a video appeared with dozens of captured Kadyrovites, who at the beginning of the invasion successfully “missed” the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Video of the sovereign project “I want to live”: how the “Akhmat” fighters, who were buried in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, are confirmed in the new camp pic.twitter.com/YNkHGhOakD

— Ukrainian Pravda ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) August 11, 2024

The Russian border towns and settlements are gradually beginning to resemble the Ukrainian cities that were previously “liberated” by the Russian army: some of them have been virtually wiped off the face of the earth. And it turns out that no one believes the Russian Ministry of Defense, says video from Solovyov's studio.

Ukraine has finally stopped fighting with its hands tied behind its back and is successfully implementing not sabotage, but full-fledged military operations on enemy territory, reminiscent of the liberation of the Kharkiv region in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova sent an appeal to the UN High Commissioner regarding the situation in the Kursk region with a call to condemn “terrorism from Ukraine”. She published the corresponding statement on Telegram on Sunday, August 11:

“I sent an appeal to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights with a demand to condemn terrorism on the part of Ukraine and take measures to prevent gross mass violations of human rights. I hope that our information will also be reflected in the UN OHCHR report on human rights violations, which, as we have learned, is being prepared for release in September.”

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