Russia's Putin says Ukraine's incursion into Kursk is an attempt to stop Moscow's eastern offensive

Putin accuses Ukraine of incursion into Kursk region to gain leverage in peace talks, as Russian forces scramble to respond.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday (August 12, 2024) that the Ukrainian army's incursion into the Kursk region, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee and embarrassed the Kremlin, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.

Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after almost a week of fierce fighting, but Mr. Putin insisted Moscow's army will prevail.

Speaking at a meeting with top security and defense officials, Mr. Putin said, “the attack that began August 6, 2024 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s attempt to gain a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war.”

He argued that Ukraine may have hoped to cause public unrest in Russia with the attack, adding that it has failed to achieve that goal, and claimed that the number of volunteers to join the Russian military has increased because of the assault. He said, “the Russian military is driving on with its eastern Ukraine offensive regardless.”

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“It's obvious that the enemy will keep trying to destabilise the situation in the border zone to try to destabilise the domestic political situation in our country,” Mr. Putin said.

Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov reported to Mr. Putin that Ukrainian forces had pushed 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the Kursk region across a 40-kilometer (25-mile) front and currently control 28 Russian settlements.