Ukraine surprised Moscow by sending thousands of troops into the Kursk region in western Russia last week in a surprise operation that saw its forces seize 1,000 square kilometers of territory, one of the biggest gains by the Ukrainian side since 2022.
The US State Department stated that
The United States had no role in planning and executing the operation.
On Tuesday of last week, Ukrainian forces invaded Russian territory, achieving rapid success, and since then, conflicting reports have been coming from this front. As we reported, even the Ukrainian soldiers who were sent to the front did not know that they were preparing to attack, and the operation was shrouded in secrecy. If the Americans' claim is true, the Ukrainians did not tell even their closest military supporters about the plan.
There were no major movements on the Kursk front today: the Ukrainians were pushed back at Jiri, and Russian control increased in the Krymzhannoye area. The Ukrainians control most of the Soja area, but Rebar says there are still Russian soldiers on the southeastern edge of the city. So far, the Russian defense seems unable to stabilize the front.
Cover image is an illustration. Cover image source: Getty Images
