Putin alarmed as Ukrainian incursion stretches nearly a week

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday called on the security service and national guard to counter what he called Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage groups in the province of Kursk. Putin also called on civilian industries to do everything they could to support Russia’s so-called counter-terrorism operation against Ukraine in the region, according to the Kremlin-run media outlet TASS. Ukraine over the weekend confirmed its incursion into the area.

Ukrainian troops fought their way into the southwestern Russian region of Kursk Aug. 6. The Kremlin insisted it halted Kyiv’s advance and that Ukraine’s forces suffered heavy losses in the area. Still, Russian troops did not push Ukraine back out of Kursk over the weekend. On Friday, Russia’s government declared a federal state of emergency in the region, and on Monday, the Kremlin ordered civilians to evacuate the area, according to Russian state media group RT.

What else has Putin said about the incursion? Putin called Ukrainian forces terrorists, accusing them of attacking civilians and allegedly targeting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with a drone strike. Russia can’t negotiate with the Kyiv’s regime while such attacks continue, Putin said, according to both RT and TASS. Ukrainian forces have also allegedly used chemical weapons against Russian civilians in the region, Kursk Gov. Aleksey Smirnov said Monday.

What does Ukraine have to say about all this? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday insisted that Russia, rather than a Ukrainian drone, had started a fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. IAEA staff at the plant reported hearing explosions, according to the agency. The agency said their staff received information it was from a drone strike. Zelenskyy on Saturday acknowledged the incursion into the Kursk region, describing it as an attempt to put pressure on Russia and restore justice to the conflict.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from Friday about Russia’s attempts to push back Ukrainian forces.