What is happening in the Kursk region of Russia, occupied by Ukrainian forces

Ukrainian troops control dozens of population centers in Russia's Kursk region.An unexpected incursion, which opens a new chapter in the war.

• For three weeks, Ukrainian troops have taken control of over ninety population centers in the Russian Kursk region.
• 133 thousand people were evacuated from the area.The number of deaths is unknown.
• Meanwhile, Moscow continues to advance in the occupied territories of Donbass and announces the capture of another village.

On the night of August 6, the Ukrainian army surprisingly invaded the Russian region Kursk and bombed the city of Sudzha.Since then the fighting on the Russian border territories has not stopped.Dozens of settlements are under the control of Kiev's army, which blew up the three bridges over the Sejm river, which are essential for Russian supplies to the front.

According to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the troops of Kiev they took control of over ninety villages over an area of ​​1,250 square kilometers.

The fighting affects the entire south-western area of ​​the region, from where more than 133 thousand people have been evacuated.At the moment there are no precise figures on deaths.

To stop the enemy advance, Moscow used military units made up of conscripts, some of whom were captured by Ukrainian soldiers, thus arousing protests from families who asked to bring their children home.

US weapons to hit Kursk

To attack the Russian Kursk region United States they would have allowed Kiev to use the bombs Americans.This is what emerged from a statement by the Pentagon's deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, cited by the Russian agency Ria Novosti.The green light was also confirmed by the Ukrainian side:Kiev's air force reported using high-precision US bombs to hit Russian military targets in the Kursk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also accused Ukrainian troops of trying to attack the nuclear power plant of the Kursk region.

According to the words of Zelensky, Kiev's goal would be to create a "buffer zone”.Analysts add that in all likelihood Ukraine is also trying to move part of the Russian troops concentrated in Donbass to lighten the offensive on the disputed Ukrainian territories.

The Russian advance in Ukraine and the drones over Moscow

Meanwhile, the Russian advance in south-eastern Ukraine continues, albeit slowly:in recent days Moscow's forces have taken the check of the city of Niu York (Novgorodskoe, as it is called by the Russians), considered an important logistics platform.

But now the Kremlin, in addition to having to respond to the fighting on its border territory, finds itself having to deal with what is happening inland: on the night of August 21st there was the largest drone attack in the skies of Fly.According to the mayor of the Russian capital Sergei Sobyanin, Russian anti-aircraft shot down about ten Ukrainian drones heading towards the capital.

An oil depot in Proletarsk, in the Rostov region of Russia, has been burning for a week, having been hit by Ukrainian drones.About fifty people were injured.

No possibility of dialogue

If it is true that the control of Russian villages by the Ukrainian side could be used for future negotiations, it is also true that the push for cease-fire, which have intensified in recent months, have now suffered a heavy setback.Putin, who had previously opened up to dialogue several times, now does not seem at all willing to sit at the negotiating table.

All this happens against the backdrop of a curious silence that lasted several days:It took more than a week for the Russian authorities to comment on what is happening in Kursk and take action.And even now the tones are more cautious:the displaced people are called "temporarily transferred citizens" by propaganda, and the offensive is defined as "a provocation".THEThe objective is to minimize the situation so as not to create alarmism and thus avoid sowing panic and discord in Russian society.