The Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region raised serious doubts about Russia's ability to defend its borders and ask the reality of "red lines", which were repeatedly voiced by the Kremlin. These events have become the subject of broad attention by international analysts and politicians, including The Wall Street Journal, which raised the question of the true state of Russian military potential and political stability.
In the five days that have passed since Ukrainian troops entered the Kursk region, at least 76,000 Russian civilians fled from hostilities - some of them noticed how they raced on the sracked srachone vehicles. In the regional capital, a tent town for refugees was deployed.
The Ukrainian attack, the first major foreign military invasion of the Russian territory since the Second World War, has surprised Moscow. Ukrainian troops advanced at least 20 miles from the border and raised the Ukrainian flag in Sudzha.
Videos posted on the network show how on Friday the column with Russian reinforcement suffered heavy casualties in the area of another city, Rylsk, and Ukrainian troops published personnel with more than a hundred Russian prisoners. According to Russian military analysts, at least three Russian combat helicopters were shot down.
Meanwhile, on Russian television and in the Kremlin's statements, the stormy events of the last days are raised as almost everyday life, and Ukrainian troops are usually called "saboteurs" who are "trying" to invade. President Vladimir Putin called the promotion of Ukrainian armored units "another large -scale provocation."
The head of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, stated that no more than 1000 Ukrainian servicemen participated in the operation. Later, the Ministry of Defense of Russia declared the death of 1120 Ukrainian servicemen, which caused ridicule of the defense department by the Russian nationalist bloggers.
