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Ukrainian troops have advanced at least 10 kilometers into the Russian territory of Kursk in a surprise attack.
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Ukraine has not yet commented on the attack and many details remain unclear.
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But Russian local commentators and those who comment in the region are convinced that Moscow was caught by surprise.
According to multiple reports, it appears that Moscow is unprepared for the Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory over the past two days.
Locals in the Kursk region evacuated without government support, and Russian military bloggers angrily questioned why Russian troops were not better prepared.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin provided conflicting information about the events, suggesting there was disarray at the top.
The exact extent of the invasion is not yet known. An analysis by the Institute for the Study of War According to authorities, Ukrainian armored vehicles have penetrated at least 10 kilometers into Kursk, which borders northern Ukraine.
Russian officials said Ukraine on Tuesday sent up to 1,000 troops in the battle, supported by 11 tanks and 20 armored vehicles. Images shared by Russian military bloggers suggests that at least two Ukrainian brigades are involved.
On Thursday, the ISW estimated that Ukrainian forces passed two defensive lines.
Ukraine has not commented on the operation and Business Insider could not independently confirm the details.
Russia has presented mixed reports of what is happening — Alexei Smirnov declared on Wednesday that the situation was under control, while President Vladimir Putin called an emergency meeting with his security chiefs.
“It seems that in recent days the Ukrainians have once again surprised Russia and observers in the West with their latest operation,” wrote Mick Ryan, war analyst and retired major general, in a recent analysis.
He noted that “the Ukrainians attacked with a highly mobile, mechanized force,” heavily supported by air defense.
Russia state of emergency declared in the region. It started with an evacuation of the border towns of the region, according to state media.
But one resident of Sudzha, a key target of the Ukrainian attack, told the independent Russian news agency Meduza that she had already fled hours before an evacuation was offered.
On Tuesday, they “woke up at 3am to the sound of rockets being fired at us,” she told the newspaper.
The Kursk nuclear power plant also appears to be barely protected, as Russia only recently sent air defense units to the area. the Kyiv Post reportedreferring to the independent Russian medium iStories.
According to the ISW, several Russian military bloggers strongly criticized the Kremlin for its lack of preparation and effective response.
The influential pro-Kremlin account Rybar wrote On Wednesday, they reported that Russia’s military leadership had been monitoring Ukrainian troops for the past two months but had done little to prepare.
Early Wednesday morning, Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev wrote in a Telegram message that serious lessons had to be learned.
On Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said: suggested that the US also had limited knowledge and said, “We are going to contact the Ukrainian military to learn more about their objectives.”
Read the original article at Business insider
