 "A view shows a building on fire in the town of Sudzha following an incursion of Ukrainian troops into the Kursk region, Russia, in this still image from video taken August 7, 2024. File Image/Reuters")
As Russia struggles to repel the deep incursion by Ukraine in the Kursk region, the country’s Ministry of Emergencies on Friday declared a “federal level” emergency in the embattled area. The announcement came after hundreds of Ukrainian troops infiltrated the Russian border as the clashes between the two continued for four days straight.
It is pertinent to note that the recent attack by Ukraine is touted as the biggest one since the commencement of the war back in 2022. Amid the chaos, the Ukrainian officials have kept a mum on the incursion and the strategic aim of the attack still remains unclear.
The “federal-level” emergency was announced after Ukraine staged an overnight ambush on a Russian convoy 25 miles inside the international border. A video circulated by Russian military bloggers showed a destroyed convoy, with bodies visible inside some of the trucks.
The convoy was attacked on the E38 east-west highway at Oktyabrskoe, a location far deeper inside Russia than any previously confirmed by the Ukrainian forces, The Moscow Times reported.
Meanwhile, Kursk region’s acting governor, Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram that “the operational situation in the Kursk region remains difficult". As the situation is now being categorised as a federal-level emergency, civic associations are providing assistance to people who are forced to flee their homes due to the crisis.
At what point does Russia declare a ‘federal level’ emergency
It is pertinent to note that the Kremlin usually declares a federal-level emergency when there are more than 500 victims or damage exceeds 500 million roubles (€5.4m). As of now, Russia has maintained that over 3,000 people have been evacuated from the region due to the ongoing fighting.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, Ukrainian forces have pressed on with their “rapid advances” deeper into the Kursk region, reportedly going up to 35km beyond the border.
“The lack of a coherent Russian response to the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk … and the reported rate of Ukrainian advance indicates that Ukrainian forces were able to achieve operational surprise,” the ISW said in an assessment on Thursday.
Russia struggles to repel the forces
Meanwhile, a Russian Defence Ministry statement released on Friday said that the military “continues to repel the attempted invasion” and is responding with airstrikes, artillery and troops on the ground.
Reports are also emerging that Russia is now moving reinforcements to the Kursk region. Multiple Grad rocket launch systems, artillery guns and heavy tracked armoury are being deployed in the region around the embattled town of Sudzha, RIA Novosti reported.
The news outlet also called that a column of Russian military trucks are moving into the Kursk region.
What are Ukriane’s motives?
On Thursday, multiple Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s Lipetsk region which is about 300 km from the Ukrainian border. The regional emergencies ministry in Lipetsk maintained that there was a fire at a military airfield where fighter planes including MiG-29s and Su-34s reportedly are stationed.
Meanwhile, Lipetsk governor Igor Artamonov maintained that unspecified electrical infrastructure was damaged and nine people were left injured in the attack. In the Thursday incident, the Russian Defence Ministry also notified that 75 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the night, 19 of them were flying over Lipetsk.
Ukraine’s intention behind the latest incursion remains unclear. However, a top adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Myhailo Podolyak, said on Thursday that border region attacks will cause Russia to “start to realise that the war is slowly creeping inside of Russian territory.”
Podolyak also suggested that the operation would strengthen Kyiv’s hand in the event of ceasefire negotiations with Moscow.
With inputs from agencies.