Ukraine continues to intensify its incursion into Russia.
Days after Ukraine launched a surprise military incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region, President Zelenskyy addressed the operation for the first time on Saturday night, indirectly acknowledging ongoing efforts to “push the war out into the aggressor’s territory” in his nightly speech.
The incursion into Russian territory, now in its sixth day, marks the largest and most significant operation since the full-scale invasion. The governor of Russia’s city of Kursk reported that a Ukrainian missile shot down by Russian air defences landed on a residential building, injuring 13 people.
The unprecedented attack from Ukrainian military units on Russian soil caught Moscow off guard, leading to significant embarrassment for Russian military leaders as they scrambled to contain the breach.
While the specific objectives of the operation remain unclear, Ukrainian military officials have maintained a policy of secrecy, likely to protect the mission’s success. Military experts suggest that the incursion may be with the intentions of diverting Russian reserves from the intense fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. A presidential advisor hinted that the operation could strengthen Kyiv’s position in any future negotiations with Russia.
In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed on Sunday that Ukraine “understands perfectly well” that these attacks “make no sense from a military point of view.” She further accused the Kyiv government of engaging in “terrorist activity” with the sole aim of intimidating Russia’s civilian population.
On Sunday, Kursk’s acting governor, Aleksei Smirnov, reported that a “Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group” had entered the Belovsky district the previous day, but stated that the situation had since been “stabilised.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported that 35 drones were shot down overnight across the Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk, and Oryol regions. Ukraine has not commented on the drone attacks, which come amid an escalation of similar strikes targeting Russian military infrastructure and oil depots in recent weeks.
Russia’s attack on Kyiv kills two
Overnight into Sunday, a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv claimed the lives of two people, including a four-year-old boy.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched four ballistic missiles and 57 Shahed drones in the assault. Ukrainian air defences managed to shoot down 53 of the drones.
In the suburban Brovary district of Kyiv, the bodies of a 35-year-old man and his son were discovered under rubble after missile fragments struck a residential area, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service on Sunday. The attack also injured three other people in the district.
Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, highlighted that this was the second time Kyiv had been targeted this month.
Popko explained that while the ballistic missiles did not reach the capital, the suburbs were heavily impacted. Drones targeting the city itself were intercepted and destroyed.
President Zelenskyy, referencing preliminary information, indicated that Russia used a North Korean missile in the strike. Both Ukraine and the US have previously accused Russia of deploying North Korean missiles during the conflict.
Zelenskyy renewed his call for greater support from Western allies, stressing the urgent need for a comprehensive air defence system to protect all Ukrainian cities and communities. He also urged Ukraine’s partners to make decisive decisions to lift restrictions on defensive actions.
Belarus strengthens its border with Ukraine
Meanwhile, Belarus announced on Saturday that it was deploying additional troops to its border with Ukraine, claiming that Ukrainian drones had violated its airspace during Kyiv’s military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko stated that the country’s air defence forces destroyed multiple targets flying from Ukraine over the Mogilev region, which borders Russia, on Friday evening.
“The Ukrainian armed forces blatantly disregarded all rules of conduct and violated the airspace of the Republic of Belarus, particularly in the eastern Kostyukovichi district, which is very close to us,” Lukashenko said during a meeting in Minsk on Saturday.
Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin described the airspace violation as a provocation, adding that Belarus is “prepared for retaliatory action.”
