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Source: Global Times

[Global Times Special Correspondent in Russia Xiao Xinxin Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Yupeng] In a video speech on the evening of the 10th local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky admitted for the first time that the Ukrainian army was launching an attack on the Russian border area. He said that Ukraine is proving its ability to "restore justice" and ensure that necessary pressure is exerted on Russia. According to foreign media reports in the past two days, the Ukrainian army has mobilized far more troops than the initial media reports of about 1,000 people, but thousands or even tens of thousands. In the face of the Ukrainian offensive, Russia said on the 10th that it had evacuated tens of thousands of people from Kursk Oblast and launched "anti-terrorist operations" in three states. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said on social media on the 11th that the Russian army will soon respond strongly to the Ukrainian army attacking the Russian border area. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the same day that in the past day, the Ukrainian army lost 230 military personnel and 38 tanks and armored vehicles in the Kursk direction.

On the 11th, Ukrainian armored vehicles were deployed in Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia's Kursk Oblast. Source: Visual China

Russia evacuates more than 76,000 people

According to Ukrainian News Agency, Zelensky said in a video speech in the evening of the 10th that on that day, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serski, reported to him many times on the front-line war and the Ukrainian army's "advancing the war into Russian territory". "I thank every unit of the defense force for ensuring this."

Zelensky also said that in the past week, the Russian army launched more than 30 missiles and dropped more than 800 guided air bombs at Ukraine. He called on allies to make a strong decision to lift restrictions on the Ukrainian army's use of Western weapons to carry out in-depth strikes in Russia.

On the 10th, the deputy chairman of the National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), Misuakin, said that the Ukrainian army controlled at least three settlements in Kursk Oblast that day. On the other hand, according to AFP, the air defense alarm sounded in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on the evening of the 10th local time. The Ukrainian Air Force said that the area around Kiev was attacked by drones. In addition, Ukraine said that it had to evacuate 20,000 people from the Ukrainian Sumy Oblast bordering Kursk.

On the 11th, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that a total of about 80 tons of humanitarian aid materials were transported from various parts of Russia to Kursk Oblast, including tents, blankets, mobile generators, sanitary products, drinking water and food. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on the 10th that more than 76,000 people were evacuated from Kursk Oblast to safe areas. According to a report by Russian News Agency on the 11th, the Acting Governor of Kursk Oblast, Smirnov, said that in the early morning of that day, a missile launched by the Ukrainian army at the state was destroyed, and its fragments hit a residential building in Kursk, injuring more than a dozen people.

Houses attacked in Russia

Earlier, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced on the 9th that from that day on, an anti-terrorism action system would be implemented in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, authorizing the authorities to relocate residents, control telephone communications, requisition vehicles, etc., in order to ensure the safety of residents and deal with sabotage and terrorist threats from the enemy.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released news in succession that the Russian army continues to repel the Ukrainian army in Kursk Oblast. According to the Russian TASS news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the 11th that the air defense forces shot down a total of 35 drones in the early morning over Kursk Oblast, Voronezh Oblast, Belgorod Oblast, Bryansk Oblast and Oryol Oblast. On the 10th, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian army used the "Iskander-M" missile system to attack the Ukrainian army command post in the Kursk border area, and "15 commanders were annihilated."

"Ukraine has deployed at least five brigades"

The website of Russia Today TV stated on the 10th that the operation in the Kursk region was the largest attack launched by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Although the Russian Ministry of Defense initially stated that the Ukrainian vanguard consisted of about 1,000 military personnel and dozens of armored vehicles, subsequent media reports said that the total strength of the Ukrainian army was at least several times that number.

"At least five Ukrainian brigades participated in the operation." Forbes magazine reported that four mechanized brigades and one air assault brigade participated in the operation, with a theoretical total force of 10,000 soldiers and 600 armored vehicles. However, it is not clear whether all the brigades participated in the attack or only sent out part of the troops. Forbes said that the five brigades that have been confirmed to participate in the war are equipped with a variety of vehicles and artillery made in the Soviet Union, Europe and the United States.

According to AFP on the 11th, a senior Ukrainian official said that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are taking part in the operation, which aims to destabilize the situation in Russia by showing its weakness. He said that the operation "greatly boosted the morale of the Ukrainian army, the country and society" and "showed that we can continue to attack and move forward."

However, he acknowledged that the operation had not had much impact on the fighting in eastern Ukraine so far. "The situation has remained largely the same. They (Russian troops) are still putting pressure on the east and have not withdrawn from the region," he said, adding that it was only "the intensity of the attack that has decreased." The official also said that Ukrainian troops had no plans to annex the areas they currently occupy, and that he expected Russia to "eventually" try to stop Ukrainian troops' actions in Kursk and retaliate with a large-scale missile attack.

Armored vehicles advancing on the battlefield

“The most risky decision yet”

Several media outlets said that Ukraine's attack on Kursk not only caught Moscow off guard, but also surprised Kiev's Western supporters and even the United States. Agence France-Presse said that the United States had previously stated that it had not been informed of the plan in advance. However, Ukrainian officials interviewed by the media said that this was "incorrect" and that "from the extent of the use of Western weapons, our Western partners were indirectly involved in the planning."

The German Foreign Ministry previously stated in a statement sent to the U.S. Political News Network: "Ukraine has the right to self-defense granted by international law, which is not limited to its own territory." Sabrina Singer, Deputy Press Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, stated that the Ukrainian army's offensive on Kursk Oblast "is in line with the U.S. policy restrictions on the use of U.S. weapons against Ukraine" and claimed that it would continue to provide weapons to Ukraine.

According to the Associated Press report on the 10th, the White House announced on the 9th that the United States will provide Ukraine with an additional $125 million worth of weapons to assist its military operations against Russia. The report said that the weapons in the latest aid plan will come from existing US stocks, including Stinger missiles, 155mm and 105mm caliber artillery shells, HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system ammunition and various vehicles. This will bring the total amount of US aid to Ukraine to $55.6 billion.

According to a report by the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 11th, Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, believes that although there are reports that French and Polish mercenaries participated in the attack and Britain also participated in the planning, Western countries are trying to shirk their responsibility for the Ukrainian army's actions in Kursk Oblast.

"The attack on Kursk is Zelensky's most risky decision so far." Michael Clark, a visiting professor at King's College London, said in an article published in the British newspaper The Times on the 10th that Zelensky is eager to reverse the narrative that Ukraine is losing the war. The action in Kursk is largely in line with his style: bold and risky. Kiev is clearly willing to risk the loss of precious soldiers and equipment, but this cannot turn the tide of the war.