Russian forces have begun launching counterattacks against Ukrainian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched a surprise invasion on August 6.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that over the past two days, Russian forces recaptured 10 settlements in Kursk. Ukrainian officials have previously said that Ukrainian soldiers had captured 100 settlements in Kursk since August 6.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the counterattacks in Kursk and claimed that the “counteroffensive actions were according to our Ukrainian plan” and that it was the first part of his so-called “victory plan.”
One purpose of the Kursk assault was to distract Russia from its offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. But that has failed as Russian troops have been making more rapid gains and are closing in on the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, which was once a major hub for the Ukrainian military.
Another purpose of the attack was to gain leverage over Russia for potential future peace talks. While Putin recently signaled he was still open to negotiations, other Russian officials have said peace talks won’t happen as long as Ukrainian troops are in Kursk.
The Russian counteroffensive in Kursk began after the CIA and the British spy agency MI6 both praised the attack, which was carried out with NATO weapons. MI6 chief Richard Moore said the assault was “typically audacious and bold on the part of the Ukrainians, to try and change the game” and said it had “brought the war home to ordinary Russians.”
