Ukraine sets up military office in Russia as attacks escalate

Ukraine has established a military administration office in Russia’s Kursk region, where its incursion into Russian territory continues, according to its top military commander.

General Oleksandr Syrsky said the office would “maintain law and order” and “meet the urgent needs” of people in the area.

In a video posted on social media, General Syrsky is seen telling a meeting chaired by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the office has been created in “territories controlled by Ukraine”.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said Moscow would send guarantees to “protect” people in the region.

Ukraine also said it made other gains in its entry on Thursday.

Ukrainian forces were 35km inside the Kursk region, where they control an area of ​​1,150sq km, including 82 residential areas, Gen Syrsky said.

Now in its 10th day, this is Ukraine’s deepest incursion into Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale offensive in 2022.

But Kyiv has said it is not interested in “taking over” Russian territory.

Instead, the attack is an attempt to pressure Moscow into agreeing to “restore peace,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy told reporters on Wednesday.

As a result of this attack, Russian officials have prepared plans for “additional measures” to protect people and infrastructure in areas bordering Ukraine.

The measures include improving “military management” in Belgorod region, neighbors of Kursk, according to a video published on the Telegram channel of the Russian defense ministry.

The Interfax news agency said that the program will also be implemented in the Kursk and Bryansk regions. All three border Ukraine.

Russia has also declared a government-level state of emergency in the Belgorod region. On Monday, 11,000 people were evacuated from the Krasnaya Yaruga district of Belgorod, according to Russian news agency Tass.

Apart from this, Moscow also claims to have regained some lost ground. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said it has regained control of the Krupets area in the Kursk region.

This happened as a UK source confirmed to the BBC that tanks donated by the UK were used during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The UK Ministry of Defense has not officially commented on what specific UK weapons Ukraine has used, but the department reiterated that Ukraine has a “clear right” to use UK-supplied weapons “to defend itself against an illegal attack by Russia”.

The UK was one of the first countries to supply Western battle tanks to Ukraine, donating 14 Challenger 2 tanks last year. But that was due to the invasion of Ukraine to retake its territory.

The Ministry of Defense has insisted that there is no change in policy.

Military equipment provided by the United States and Germany is also being used for the invasion of Ukraine.

None of those countries raised objections about their weapons being used in the attack. But given the secrecy surrounding the project, few would know Ukraine’s intentions in advance.

There may be concern in the West about what happens next. Not just whether Ukraine could lose more and come back asking for more. But more importantly, there will be some who may worry about how Russia responds.

The Kremlin has already accused the West of being behind the attack on its territory. The fact that Western weapons are involved can be seen as proof of that charge.

Escalation is always worrisome when it involves a nuclear-armed state, and the Kremlin has not been afraid to stir up nuclear weapons from time to time.

But it also set many red lines that were already crossed.

It warned the West not to supply Ukraine with tanks in the first place. That warning was ultimately ignored.

However, there is still one major limitation. No Western country has given Kyiv the green light to use its long-range missiles to strike weapons inside Russia.

Britain, France and the US have all offered something – but with the caveat that they must be used inside Ukraine. That includes Crimea.

President Zelensky has repeatedly called for those caves to be removed.