Ukraine’s surprise attack on western Russia has forced the Kremlin to divert “some military manpower and resources” to the region, the U.S. has confirmed.
Ukrainian troops entered Russia’s Kursk on August 6, marking their largest incursion into enemy territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on its neighbor in February 2022.
According to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, citing an interview broadcast on the American news-based television channel MSNBC, John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, said that Vladimir Putin had been forced to deploy Moscow’s forces to Kursk in response to the Ukrainian assault.
Kirby said: “We have seen the Russians react to it [Ukraine’s incursion] in terms of diverting some military manpower and resources to the Kursk area.”
Kirby added that it was unclear exactly how many soldiers the Kremlin would deploy in Kursk, “what their intentions are, what they are going to do, or what the Ukrainians are doing.”
According to the advisor, Washington is talking to Kyiv “in real-time.”
“We want to better understand what is going on here. In the meantime, we will continue to make sure that Ukraine has the weapons and capabilities it needs to defend itself,” he said, adding that new military aid packages will be announced in the coming weeks.
According to media reports, Ukrainian troops have taken control of more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region, including dozens of settlements.
Russian authorities have said a total of around 200,000 people are being evacuated from Kursk following the attack.
According to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, citing an interview broadcast on the American news-based television channel MSNBC, John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, said that Vladimir Putin had been forced to deploy Moscow’s forces to Kursk in response to the Ukrainian assault.
Kirby said: “We have seen the Russians react to it [Ukraine’s incursion] in terms of diverting some military manpower and resources to the Kursk area.”
Kirby added that it was unclear exactly how many soldiers the Kremlin would deploy in Kursk, “what their intentions are, what they are going to do, or what the Ukrainians are doing.”
According to the advisor, Washington is talking to Kyiv “in real-time.”
“We want to better understand what is going on here. In the meantime, we will continue to make sure that Ukraine has the weapons and capabilities it needs to defend itself,” he said, adding that new military aid packages will be announced in the coming weeks.
According to media reports, Ukrainian troops have taken control of more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region, including dozens of settlements.
Russian authorities have said a total of around 200,000 people are being evacuated from Kursk following the attack.
Source: ukrinform.net
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