Ukrainian army has penetrated 30 km inside Russia. According to American media house CNN, this is the first time since the war started in February 2022 that Ukraine is attacking Russia.
As of Friday, Russia has lost at least 250 square kilometers of territory in Kursk, adjacent to the Ukrainian border. The next target of Ukrainian troops is the Russian city of Sudja. Many videos are viral on social media, in which Ukrainian soldiers are removing the Russian flag on buildings and replacing them with the flag of their country.
At the same time, Russia is making every effort to stop the Ukrainian attack. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its troops have clashed with Ukrainian troops in the Russian villages of Tolpino and Obshchi Kolodze.
Fighting near Kursk Nuclear Plant
Ukrainian attack continues in Kursk area of Russia for the sixth day. Russia had imposed emergency in the area on August 8 itself. According to reports, in just 24 hours the Ukrainian army destroyed two major fortifications in the Kursk region. It took Russia more than two and a half years to build it and more than 170 million dollars (about 14 thousand crores) were spent on it.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that there would be a befitting reply from the Russian Army. Zakharova said that the purpose of these attacks is to kill Russian citizens, intimidate them and destroy the country’s infrastructure.
The area where the fighting is going on between the Russian and Ukrainian forces is near the Kursk Nuclear Plant. This power plant is one of the largest nuclear plants in Russia. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Rafael Grossi has said that efforts should be made to prevent nuclear accidents. If any accident happens, it will have serious consequences.
Claim: Putin’s image damaged by Ukraine’s rise
American magazine Time has said about Ukraine’s progress that this success of Ukraine is minor, but it has harmed Putin’s powerful image. According to Russian news agency Tass, 76,000 people living near the Ukrainian border have been sent to safe areas.
The Ukrainian army entered the Kursk area on 6 August. Russia claimed that about 1 thousand Ukrainian soldiers equipped with tanks and artillery entered Kursk. Even after pictures and videos of Ukrainian soldiers inside Russia surfaced, Ukrainian officials remained silent about entering the Russian border.
After this, on Sunday, Zelensky released a video and admitted that Ukraine had invaded Russian territory. He said Russia launched more than 2,000 attacks on Ukraine from Kursk. We want to tell Russia that we can also respond. He said that Ukraine is fighting for justice. He also thanked the Ukrainian soldiers.
A Ukrainian official told news agency AFP, “Russian troops are weak in protecting their border. We are getting overwhelmed in this area. Our objective is to cause maximum damage to the enemy.