Putin’s Outrage Over Kyiv’s Raid on Kursk “With the Help of Its Western Masters”

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its air defense systems destroyed 12 drones over the Kursk region, which Ukraine attacked a week ago, claiming to have controlled an area of 1,000 square kilometers as of Monday.

According to the ministry, one drone was also destroyed over the Voronezh region and another over the Belgorod region.

Putin asserted on Monday that Ukraine’s raid—the largest since Moscow launched its invasion in 2022—aims to improve Kyiv’s negotiating position before potential peace talks.

In his most detailed comments on the attacks, the Russian president also stated that Kyiv, “with the help of its Western masters,” is attempting to slow the advance of Russian forces in what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

He questioned what kind of negotiations could be held with an enemy that indiscriminately fires at Russian civilians and nuclear facilities.

“Ukrainian armed forces are suffering significant losses, including their most combat-ready units, which the enemy is moving to our borders,” Putin said during a meeting with senior security officials and regional governors, which was broadcast on state television. “The enemy will undoubtedly receive a response, and all the objectives we have set will undoubtedly be achieved,” he emphasized.

On Monday, the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, informed President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukrainian troops continue to advance into Russian territory.

“We continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Kursk region. At this moment, we control about 1,000 square kilometers of the Russian Federation’s territory,” he said in a video posted on Zelensky’s Telegram account.

Reuters was unable to verify the claims of either side.

The acting governor of Kursk, Alexey Smirnov, stated that Ukraine controls 28 settlements in the region, with the raid extending approximately 12 kilometers deep and 40 kilometers wide.

In the Kursk region, 121,000 people have already been evacuated, with another 59,000 being relocated, according to local officials. In the Belgorod region, which borders Kursk, 11,000 civilians have also been evacuated, said the regional governor.

Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region are reportedly attempting to encircle Sudzha, where Russian natural gas flows into Ukraine, while heavy fighting is occurring near Korenevo, about 22 kilometers from the border, and in Martinovka, according to some military bloggers.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced today that Russia launched 38 attack drones and fired two ballistic missiles overnight against Ukraine. The entire country was briefly placed under an air raid alert this morning, but the alerts have since been lifted.

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