It was the first incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War, and Moscow didn't see it coming. On Tuesday, August 6, several thousand Ukrainian soldiers took advantage of "weaknesses" in the border defense to capture several towns, including Sudzha – which had a population of 5,000 before the war began.

In the first two weeks of the offensive, Kyiv has seized between 600 and 700 square kilometers of territory – in other words, as much as Moscow managed to nibble away between January and July 2024. The Ukrainian presidency presents this offensive as "victory plan," according to Volodymyr Zelensky, who believes that it is necessary to "be in a position of strength" before opening a "dialogue" with Moscow to end the war.

The map below shows the Ukrainian incursion and its evolution since the beginning of August in the border regions of Sumy in Ukraine and Kursk in Russia.