The Russian army announced on Thursday that it had recaptured ten towns in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces had advanced more than 1,000 km.2 In early August, a counteroffensive took place at a time when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Poland to discuss ways to help Ukraine.
Mr. Blinken arrived in Warsaw after a visit to kyiv, where he promised to “urgently” examine Ukraine’s military demands, which include obtaining authorization to strike deep into Russian territory with Western missiles. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denounced the slowness of the Americans and Europeans on the subject.
In Moscow, the Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces had “liberated 10 localities in two days” during “offensive operations” in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops seized about 10 localities in a surprise attack in early August.
These are the first military successes claimed by the Russian army in this area.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed at the same time that a Russian counter-offensive was underway in this border region, while assuring that this response was “in line with the Ukrainian plan”, without providing further details.
The front had been largely frozen in the Kursk region since the first Ukrainian advances. kyiv had launched this offensive in particular to try to force the Russian army to turn away from its assault in eastern Ukraine, so far without success.
The bulk of the fighting continues to take place in Donbass, where Russian soldiers have the advantage and are moving ever closer to the strategic town of Pokrovsk.
It was in this eastern region that three people were killed on Thursday in a Russian strike on vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. The ICRC confirmed the death of three of its employees, while two others were injured.
The Ukrainian president also claimed that a Russian missile had hit a cargo ship carrying wheat bound for Egypt in the Black Sea on Thursday evening.
kyiv criticizes “delays”
In Warsaw, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Polish leaders after an overnight train ride from Ukraine, where he met with Zelensky and other officials on Wednesday alongside his British counterpart David Lammy.
The moves come at a time when Ukraine is demanding the ability to strike deep into Russia with the long-range Western missiles it has been supplied with.
In a sign of his impatience, Mr Zelensky on Thursday criticised the West’s “delay” on the issue. These delays have “led to Russia moving these military targets deeper”, he stressed.
But so far the Americans have not allowed kyiv to freely fire on targets in Russia, for fear of an escalation with Moscow.
“We will adapt if necessary, including with regard to the means at Ukraine’s disposal to defend itself effectively against Russian aggression,” Blinken evaded on Thursday in the Polish capital.
The day before in kyiv, he had promised to examine the Ukrainian requests “urgently”.
“The victim of an attack has the right to defend himself,” argued Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
President Joe Biden, who has been wary of taking steps that could trigger a direct conflict between Russia and the nuclear-armed United States, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are scheduled to meet on Friday.
Russia, which is accused of recently receiving ballistic missiles from Iran, has promised an “appropriate” response if it is given the green light for deep strikes on its soil.
“We have no doubt that the decision to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to attack Russian territory was made a long time ago,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
No water, no gas in Pokrovsk
Blinken is also due to discuss in Warsaw Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga’s call on Wednesday for neighbouring countries to shoot down Russian missiles and drones when they fly over Ukraine’s western regions.
On the front in eastern Ukraine, the situation continues to deteriorate in Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub under threat of an assault by Russian troops, who are less than ten kilometers away.
Running water has been cut off due to the fighting, the city hall of the town, which had a population of about 53,000 before the war, announced on Thursday. Regional governor Vadim Filashkin reported the destruction of the gas supply system.
“With each passing day, there are fewer and fewer shops (open) in Pokrovsk and living conditions are becoming more and more difficult,” Filachkin said.
“The situation is difficult and will not improve in the near future,” added the town hall, once again urging the city’s residents to evacuate.