A week into Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion into Russia, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Moscow does not have the situation under control.
The incursion — the first time foreign troops entered Russian territory since World War II — is a major embarrassment for the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to “kick the enemy out” of Russia, but his troops are yet to stop the Ukrainian advance.
Here’s what we know:
What’s happening? The first reports of Ukrainian troops crossing into Russia’s Kursk region, just north of the Ukrainian border, started to emerge late last Tuesday. But it wasn’t until several days later that Kyiv officially acknowledged its military was operating inside Russia.
It marks a notable change of tactics from Ukraine, which has previously attacked targets inside Russia with drones and missiles, but until last week had not launched any official ground incursions across the border.
By Monday, Kyiv claimed to have control over some 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian territory. That’s similar to the amount of Ukrainian land Russia managed to seize so far this year.
Why is Ukraine doing this? Kyiv is likely trying to achieve several goals: reclaim the initiative and boost the morale of its soldiers while diverting Russia’s attention and embarrassing Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said over the weekend that the incursion was a way to put “pressure on the aggressor.”
It comes after Ukraine has been under increased pressure along the 600-mile front line as Moscow in recent months, even as long-awaited US military aid started to arrive to the front. Moscow’s slow, grinding offensive along the entire front line has been forcing Ukraine to commit to defensive operations rather than gear up for a counteroffensive.
The Ukrainian government said it didn’t intend to annex Russia’s territory in the same way Moscow has annexed Crimea and other areas seized from Ukraine.
Read more about what this could mean for Russia, Ukraine and the war as a whole.
