Ukraine presses offensive inside Russia as Moscow scrambles to respond (2024)

A damaged home in the town of Sudzha, about 6 miles inside Russia, where Ukraine is waging an offensive on the Russia side of the border. The photo was released by the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, on his Telegram channel. The surprise Russian attack began Tuesday and ongoing fighting was reported for a fourth day Friday. Alexei Smirnov/Telegram channel via AP hide caption

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Alexei Smirnov/Telegram channel via AP

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine pressed ahead with a military offensive inside Russia on Friday while Russian forces scrambled to respond to the surprise attack that has forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Video on social media showed long lines of Russia civilians driving out of villages in the western region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched the operation Tuesday. Russia has canceled train service in several parts of Kursk due to the fighting. In addition, videos show Russian civilians pleading for help from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military, saying they fear for their lives.

Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials all acknowledge the fighting, but details remain sketchy.

In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Russia brought war to our land and should feel what it has done. Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals."

Beyond a few general comments, Ukraine's government and military have not commented on the operation, which appears to be the largest inside Russia since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014.

Russian military officials said they have sent reinforcements to Kursk, that they were defeating the Ukrainian forces and expected to regain control of the border soon.

Reports of ongoing clashes

Many Russian military bloggers, however, are presenting a contradictory assessment, saying the fighting is ongoing in multiple villages, with Russian forces suffering setbacks and struggling to gain the upper hand.

Videos posted on pro-Ukrainian social media sites show the Ukrainians advancing on a number of fronts. They show the destruction of what is described as a Russian military column, the surrender of dozens of Russian troops and Ukrainian soldiers standing in front of road signs marking the entrances to villages in the Kursk region.

The posts say that Ukrainian troops are operating in multiple settlements, villages and towns, and have penetrated at least 6 miles into Russian territory. Some claim the Ukrainians have gone even farther.

The heaviest fighting is reported to be Sudzha, several miles inside Russia, and the largest town in the areas under attack.

Local Russian officials have reported dozens of civilian casualties in their areas in posts on Telegram, but neither Russia nor Ukraine have provided overall casualty figures.

NPR and other news organizations cannot independently verify the accounts.

Ukraine has not said how many of its troops have crossed into Russia. Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, told a Kremlin briefing Wednesday that some 1,000 Ukrainian troops were taking part, backed by dozens of armored vehicles. Some Ukrainian media reports, without citing sources, have suggested an even larger number, saying several Ukrainian brigades are involved.

Ukraine's goals are not clear

In addition, the ultimate aim of the Ukrainian operation is not clear. The offensive clearly caught the Russians off guard and and has lifted the mood of Ukrainians, at least temporarily.

"Will the events in this or that Russian border region have a psychological impact on [Russian] society? They will, without a doubt," said Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Zelenskyy. "When you increase Russian losses, when you ramp up their war costs, such as destroyed military equipment, lost territory, lost people, will this affect how they perceive their war? Without a doubt."

However, some military analysts are questioning whether this incursion makes military sense. They note Ukraine has far fewer troops than Russia and needs all the forces it can muster to defend its own territory. By sending a sizable force on an offensive operation inside Russia, Ukraine could be even more vulnerable to the Russian troops attacking inside Ukraine.

Ukraine has given no indication of whether it seeks to hold territory inside Russia — which could be extremely difficult and costly — or if the operation is a limited action that will conclude with the troops withdrawing to Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine has previously backed Russian exiles who carried out limited cross-border raids, but has never conducted its own operation on such a scale.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is on the defensive at home, struggling to halt, or at least limit, a Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region. Russians forces have seized a number of villages in recent weeks, making it one of their most successful ground operations in well over a year. The Russians have sent wave after wave of troops toward Ukrainian lines, suffering massive losses with the attacks. But the Russians have advanced, claiming villages that have been largely reduced to rubble in the heavy fighting.