Days after Ukraine began a surprise military incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, President Volodymyr Zelensky broke the government's silence on it late Saturday by indirectly acknowledging ongoing military actions to "push the war out into the aggressor's territory" in his nightly address. The incursion continued for a sixth day Sunday, the AP reports. It's the largest such attack since the Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and is unprecedented for its use of Ukrainian military units on Russian soil. Ukraine's raid into Russia caught Moscow unaware and was an embarrassment to Russian military leaders who have scrambled to contain the breach.
Evacuation of civilians living in Russia's border areas with Ukraine were still taking place Sunday. Russian state television aired footage of evacuees at a tent camp in the city of Kursk. According to the report by RTR, more than 20 temporary accommodation centers have been set up in the region. The exact aims of the operation remain unclear, and Ukrainian military officials have adopted a policy of secrecy. Military experts have said that it is likely intended to draw Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, while a presidential adviser suggested that it may strengthen Kyiv's hand in any future negotiations with Russia.
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Sunday that Ukraine "understands perfectly well" that the recent attacks "make no sense from a military point of view." She called it "terrorist activity with the sole purpose of intimidating the peaceful population of Russia," per the AP. Overnight into Sunday, a Russian drone and missile barrage on Kyiv killed two people, including a 4-year-old boy. Russia attacked Ukraine with four ballistic missiles and 57 Shahed drones, Ukraine's air force said. Air defenses shot down 53 of the drones.
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