Ukrainian forces including armoured vehicles have made confirmed advances of up to 10km into Russia’s Kursk oblast, the Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday evening. “The current confirmed extent and location of Ukrainian advances in Kursk oblast indicate that Ukrainian forces have penetrated at least two Russian defensive lines and a stronghold,” the US-based thinktank said in its Wednesday evening update. “Russian insider source and several other Russian sources reported that Ukrainian forces fought for and seized the Sudzha checkpoint and the Sudzha gas distribution station.” ISW cited geolocated footage and satellite imagery, and said the Ukrainians had taken dozens of prisoners of war.
The White House was contacting Ukraine to learn the “objectives” of a major incursion across the border into Russia, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said on Wednesday. Washington supported “common sense” actions by Ukraine to stop attacks by Russian forces, Jean-Pierre added. “We’re going to reach out to the Ukrainian military to learn more about their objectives.
Vladimir Putin described it as a “large-scale provocation” as Ukrainian officials remained silent about the scope of the operation. Matthew Miller, US state department spokesperson, dismissed Moscow’s condemnations. “I have seen the statements from the Russian government. It is a little bit rich, them calling it a provocation, given Russia violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, writes that the operation appears to be an attack by Ukraine’s military rather than the Ukrainian-based Russian opposition groups that have conducted past raids.
Russia’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said up 1,000 combatants from Ukraine were involved. Some Russian military bloggers reported Ukrainian troops had reached the town of Sudzha, which is home to the Sudzha metering station, the last major transit point for Russian pipeline gas heading to Europe via Ukraine. Evacuations of civilians were being carried out both in Kursk and in Sumy oblast on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Russian propagandist Yevgeny Poddubny survived a Ukrainian drone strike in the Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday and was in intensive care, said the state-owned Rossiya-24 news channel for which he works. Countries including the UK and Australia have had Poddubny under sanctions since 2022.
The Kyiv Post has said the appointment of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s running mate is good news for Ukraine, as “since the start of the full-scale invasion, Walz has been a vocal advocate for Ukraine in its fight against Russia”.
Boeing says it is been ramping up its production of PAC-3 seekers used in the Patriot missile defence system. The company said it was on pace to break its annual seeker production record by over 20% by the end of the year. More seekers are needed as the US plans to boost production of Patriots with the help of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.
Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina has pleaded guilty in a Russian court to a charge of treason, state news agency RIA quoted her lawyer as saying on Wednesday. Karelina was charged over a donation she made in 2022 to a charity supporting Ukraine. RIA said the prosecution and defence would sum up their arguments on Thursday and the verdict would be announced the same day.
French authorities allowed Russian sailing frigate the Shtandart to dock in La Rochelle for food and fuel despite sanctions over Moscow’s war against Ukraine, a port source said on Wednesday. The 34-metre-long (112 feet) three-masted ship, built in 1999 and an exact replica of a frigate belonging to tsar Peter the Great, was barred from entering Brest and from taking part in its maritime festival in July. The boat was once a favourite of European maritime festivals and used extensively for cruises and training.
