In a major bet last summer, Ukraine launched a daring offensive on Russian soil, the first invasion of Russia since World War II. That incursion into the Kursk region stunned Moscow and provided a much-needed morale boost for Ukrainians, but after months of fierce fighting, Russia has recently clawed back almost all of the territory lost.
As efforts now intensify to reach a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, Ukraine appears to be gambling again with a small-scale incursion into Russia. In recent days, the Ukrainian Army has staged a new cross-border push into the Belgorod region, according to Ukrainian officials, analysts of open-source intelligence and Russian military bloggers.
While the extent of the Ukrainian push into Belgorod was unclear and Ukraine’s intentions are unclear, military analysts said it was possibly an effort to draw Russian forces from Kursk to alleviate pressure there. Kyiv may also hope that grabbing another patch of Russian land could provide added diplomatic leverage, analysts said.
But Moscow has shown no willingness to make real concessions while Ukrainian troops remain on Russian territory, and Kyiv’s new push comes with obvious risks as they remain stretched across the vast front line.
The incursion appears to be much more limited in scope than the Kursk operation and has so far only secured a thin band of territory across the border, military analysts say, citing video of the battle they have verified. It was unclear how many troops were involved or the extent of the Russian response.
Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged a new attack on Russian soil. But three Ukrainian military and government officials confirmed that an operation was continuing in the Belgorod region of southern Russia, near territory Ukraine captured in the neighboring Kursk region last summer. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential operation.
Russia has not said anything publicly about any Belgorod incursion. The Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.