Ukraine surprised the international community and Russia by attacking the Russian border province of Kursk. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out airstrikes in the region in recent days and are advancing into Russian territory. More than just a raid, the offensive is causing concern in the Kremlin, with Vladimir Putin calling kyiv’s action a “great provocation“.

For his part, Kursk Governor Alexey Smirnov declared on Wednesday evening the “state of emergency” in the province, justifying it with the “difficult operational situation in the border areas”. The political leader explained that this measure is necessary to “eliminate the consequences of the entry of enemy forces into the region””Until the operational situation improves, I will personally coordinate the work of the forces of the unified state system to prevent and eliminate emergency situations,” he said.

Earlier, the head of the Russian armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, who rarely speaks in public, said in a video conference that “the enemy’s advances into Kursk” had been “stopped” by the actions of the Russian security forces. The head of the Moscow troops also said that around a hundred Ukrainian soldiers had died during the fighting.

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However, despite this assurance, Russia announced hours later that it would reinforce its military presence and send military assets to Kursk and also to the border region of Belgorod. The effort will be combined by the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), the Ministry of Defense and the border branch of the FSB (Federal Security Service) secret services.

The goal is for these forces to be able to combat “Ukrainian troops” and other groups in Kursk and Belgorod. In addition, according to RIA, the Russian National Guard, controlled directly by Vladimir Putin, will be sent to protect the kursk nuclear power plantwith “additional measures being taken” to protect that infrastructure.

Ukraine had no right to this offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was vague in his daily speech and did not mention the attack directly. However, the Ukrainian leader stressed that “the more pressure is put on Russia”, the sooner “peace” will come. “Just peace through just strength.”

Volodymyr Zelensky also said that he had spoken on Wednesday with the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, about the “actions and steps” of the country’s troops. “The details will be revealed later,” the Head of State promised, without giving further details.

His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, accused the Kiev regime of carrying out “another large-scale provocation” and of “indiscriminately firing various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings.” To address the situation in Kursk, which took the Kremlin by surprise, the head of state met on Wednesday with members of his government and the Russian Security Council.

What does Ukraine want?

The objective of Ukraine’s offensive on Russian soil is still unknown.”Of course this is something completely new.” Ruslan Pukhov, director of group of experts RUSSIAN BREAKDOWN. The way Ukrainian troops managed to surprise and advance into Russian territory (using armored vehicles and tanks, and at the same time launching air strikes) is unprecedented. “It is a large-scale operation,” says the same expert.

This offensive operation is even more surprising, considering the moment of the conflict. Ukraine is currently facing problems on the eastern front, in Donetsk, and on the northern front, near Kharkiv, where there has been a gradual advance by Russia, which is in an ascendant and offensive phase. Basically, kyiv has had problems with the lack of men, in the face of a powerful Russian army.

In this regard, Nick Reynolds, member of the group of experts The Royal United Services Institute notes that “it is not possible for Ukraine to open a second front”, especially on Russian territory. “They need to stabilise the front line in Donbass.”

However, Ukraine may have wanted to catch the Kremlin off guard. This advance could lead to the transfer of men and resources from Ukrainian territories to Russian soil, and could also have the advantage of complicating Russian supply chains. Thus, as Nick Reynolds pointed out to the Wall Street Journal, kyiv shows that it can still make “incursions” and that Russia “There must not be too much silence in your territory.”

The West does not condemn the Ukrainian attack and the EU reminds: “Ukraine has the legal right to defend itself”

Ukraine’s partners never condemned the attack. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was not “notified in advance” of the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk. “It was a sovereign decision” Ukrainians, the diplomatic official stressed, guaranteeing that this incursion “does not violate US restrictions on the use of American weapons delivered to kyiv.”

European Commission spokesman Peter Stano also commented on the Kursk offensive. The EU leader noted that Ukraine has “the legal right to defend itself, including by attacking the aggressor on its territory.” “The European Union continues to fully support Ukraine’s legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and its efforts to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he stressed.