“THE WAR HAS COME TO US”
Ukraine’s surprise offensive into the Kursk region appeared to catch Russia off guard, with some analysts suggesting Kyiv was hoping to divert resources and relieve pressure on parts of the frontline where Moscow is advancing.
Influential Russian military bloggers have blasted army leaders for failing to spot or quash the incursion.
Senior Kyiv officials have stayed largely tight-lipped, although Zelensky alluded to the attack on Thursday.
“Everyone can see that the Ukraine army knows how to surprise and knows how to achieve results,” he said.
Moscow has not presented detailed information on the extent of the Ukrainian advance.
It said Friday it had struck Ukrainian positions on the western edge of Sudzha, a town around eight kilometres (five miles) from the border that appeared to be the focus of Kyiv’s offensive.
Several Russian media outlets shared a video purporting to show residents from the town appealing to President Vladimir Putin for help, warning that many were unable to evacuate.
“In a few hours our town was turned into ruins … Our relatives are left behind, we can’t call them, there is no communication. Please help us get our land back,” one resident said in the video.
Thousands have been evacuated from the border region, with Russia putting on an extra train to Moscow from the regional capital, Kursk, for those looking to leave.
At a train station in Moscow, AFP journalists saw families disembarking with children.
“The war has come to us, so all the relatives have gone to Moscow,” AFP heard a woman with her young daughter saying at the station.
Source: CNA
