Western experts question rationale behind Ukrainian attack on Kursk
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The Russian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday that up to 300 Ukrainian militants, backed by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored vehicles, attacked Russian state border guard forces in the region.
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A photo released by the office of the acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, shows a damaged house after Ukrainian shelling in the city of Sudzha, Russia, on Tuesday.(AP)
Western military specialists questioned Ukraine's strategic reason for attacking the Russian province of Kursk, citing limited resources and difficulties in sustaining a long front line, according to a Wednesday report by the Financial Times.
Ryan, a retired Australian army general, stated that given defensive challenges elsewhere, the strategic reason for this operation is unclear.
Rob Lee, a senior scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Eurasia department, told the newspaper that Ukraine's entry is unlikely to have a significant influence on the conflict's conclusion.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday that up to 300 Ukrainian militants, backed by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored vehicles, attacked Russian state border guard forces in the region. As of Wednesday, the government said that up to 260 Ukrainian servicemen and 50 armored vehicles had been destroyed.
The National Guard, Border Guard, and Defense Ministry increased their military presence in Kursk and Belgorod to deter prospective Ukrainian assaults.
According to the Russian Health Ministry, the Ukrainian attack on the Kursk area injured 31 civilians, four of them critically. Nineteen individuals, including four children, had to be hospitalized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of conducting a major provocation and bombarding Russian territories, indiscriminately, shooting at civilian facilities and ambulances.
Ukrainian troops have been targeting settlements in Russia's Kursk Region in an effort to penetrate Russian territory. Acting Governor Aleksey Smirnov reported an increase in civilian casualties from these attacks.
Russian MFA says Ukrainian 'terrorism' spreading all over the world
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the Ukrainian government, accusing it of acting as a terrorist organization on behalf of Western nations and their "deep state structures."
The allegations followed a deadly incursion into Russia's Kursk Region by Ukrainian troops, which killed several civilians.
Zakharova, speaking to Sputnik Radio on Wednesday, described the Ukrainian attacks as acts of terrorism specifically aimed at harming civilians. "This is an act of terrorism. It was obviously directed against peaceful people. There is no doubt about that," she stated.
The spokesperson referenced a recent diplomatic fallout involving Mali, which severed ties with Kiev earlier this month. This decision came after Ukrainian officials took credit for an ambush on Russian military contractors by Tuareg militants in the Sahel region of Africa.
Zakharova warned that "Things will get worse in terms of Ukrainian terrorism spreading across the planet. It's not a joke," accusing Ukraine's administration of transforming Ukraine into a "terrorist gang" serving Western interests. She questioned the American public's awareness of their government's support for Ukraine, suggesting that US financial aid was effectively sponsoring terrorism.
On Tuesday evening, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone struck an ambulance near the town of Sudzha, killing the driver and an elderly paramedic, and injuring a doctor. Earlier updates had confirmed three civilian fatalities, and local health officials reported at least 28 people injured by Ukrainian strikes as of Wednesday.
Zakharova also highlighted a deepfake video of Governor Smirnov, in which he supposedly urged all men in the Kursk Region to arm themselves and report to conscription centers.
The fake clip was derived from an actual video statement made by Smirnov on Tuesday, which instead called for citizens to remain calm and prioritize their safety.
