Russian news agencies, cited by Reuters, report about a significant coordinated Ukrainian attack on Russia on Wednesday morning (14/8). The attack involved the use of 117 drones and four missiles against various Russian regions along the border, which have been targeted by the Ukrainians for several days.
“The Russian air defense destroyed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles and four tactical missiles launched overnight from Ukraine targeting several regions, including Kursk,” announced the Russian Ministry of Defense today.
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The missiles and 37 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the Kursk region, the ministry reported via the Telegram platform, while 37 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the Voronezh region, among others.
The Russian ministry did not disclose a total number for the unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles launched by Russia.
The governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, stated that during the night, Ukraine launched more than 35 unmanned aerial vehicles against his region, which is located several hundred kilometers south of Moscow.
“There were no casualties,” Gusev said on Telegram.
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The governor of Belgorod, a Russian region neighboring Ukrainian territory, announced today that he is declaring a state of emergency, citing the “extremely difficult” situation due to ongoing Ukrainian bombings.
“The situation in our region remains extremely difficult and tense due to the bombings by Ukrainian armed forces. Houses have been destroyed, and civilians have been killed and injured,” the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported via Telegram.
“To ensure better protection for the population and to offer further assistance to the victims, a state of emergency will be declared at the regional level starting today,” he added, emphasizing that he is requesting Moscow to also declare a state of emergency “at the federal level.”
He referred to attacks by Ukrainian drones against two villages in the region — namely, Shebekino and Ustinka.
Ukrainian Attacks in Kursk
Authorities in the Kursk, Voronezh, and Bryansk regions also reported incursions by Ukraine using drones, while assuring that they were shot down by Russian air defense during the night.
The Ukrainian armed forces began a large-scale operation in the Kursk region on August 6
Authorities in Kursk further reported that four Ukrainian missiles were destroyed over the region during the night.
The Ukrainian armed forces initiated a large-scale operation in the Kursk region on August 6, which borders Voronezh, claiming to have seized over 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.
The Russian authorities acknowledge losing 28 communities and say that Ukrainian territorial gains extend over a zone 40 kilometers wide and 12 kilometers deep.
Ukraine claims that its forces have taken control of 74 settlements in the Kursk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the battles as “difficult and fierce.” “There are 74 settlements under Ukraine’s control. Inspections are being conducted there and stabilization measures are being implemented,” stated the Ukrainian leader in a post on Telegram. He also assured that “hundreds” of Russians have been captured.
The head of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrski, indicated that his troops “advanced in certain areas by one to three kilometers” during the day, securing control of an additional “40 square kilometers.”
On their part, Russian forces announced that they “repelled” new Ukrainian attacks in the Kursk region, where they stated they sent reinforcements and inflicted losses on their opponents.
Aims
According to calculations by the French Agency based on data from Russian sources gathered by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian troops have advanced 800 kilometers in the Kursk region.
For comparison, Russia has advanced 1,360 kilometers into Ukrainian territory since January 1, according to the analysis by the French Agency.
According to an American official who spoke to Reuters, the goal of the Ukrainian operation seems to be to force Russia to withdraw troops from areas of Ukraine to defend itself.
U.S. President Joe Biden assessed that the situation “creates a real dilemma for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”
In his first statements regarding the Ukrainian army’s operation, the American president told reporters that Washington is in constant contact with Kyiv — although until yesterday his administration assured that it has no involvement in the planning, preparation, or execution of the operation.
As seen by Russian President Putin, the Ukrainian operation aims to improve Kyiv’s negotiating position when talks begin, as well as to slow the slow but steady advance of Russian forces on the eastern front in recent months.
According to a Russian blogger monitoring the events of the war using the pseudonym Rybar, Ukrainian forces continue to attack in multiple directions, while Russian troops seek to pin them down and destroy mainly their armored vehicles, as they await further reinforcements.
With information from APE, Reuters, AFP
Source: in.gr