CNNI: Moscow ‘loses’ Kursk, but closes in on ‘key’ Ukrainian city – Zelensky worries

Progress Ukrainians In Kursk, but also in the Belgorod region, Russian local authorities have begun evacuating several villages located near the Russian-Ukrainian border. However, according to a post CNNMoscow is “rapidly approaching” a major military hub in eastern Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s successful invasion of Kursk.

Ukraine says it has seized more than 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory since launching its surprise offensive, forcing tens of thousands of Russians to flee their homes.

Ukrainian officials said their military, already about 35 kilometers (22 miles) inside Russian territory, was still advancing “in some areas by one to three kilometers” on Friday.

What worries Ukraine?

However, according to the head of the military administration of the city of Pokrovsk, Serhiy Dobriak, Moscow is “very close” to the outskirts of Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s main supply hub and military infrastructure that has become the focus of the Russian offensive in the Donetsk region.

It is noteworthy that the capture of Pokrovsk would bring Vladimir Putin closer to his goal of capturing all of eastern Ukraine, such as Luhansk and Donetsk, which is of particular concern to Kiev.

Capturing Pokrovsk, a major transportation hub, would reduce Ukraine’s mobility and likely provide a bridgehead for Russian expansion in all directions, just as the capture of Bobashna did two years ago.

Where is Moscow focused?

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said on Thursday that Russian forces were “maintaining a relatively high tempo of attack” in Donetsk, “suggesting that the Russian military leadership continues to prioritise advances in eastern Ukraine, even as Ukraine pushes Russian forces into the Kursk region.”

The smell of… war in the city of Susa

Decaying corpses in the streets. Bulleted cars. Half of Lenin’s face torn off the statue in the square. Roads littered with debris. Locals huddle in bomb shelters.

The smell of death in dilapidated buildings..

This is how CNNi describes a scene that is familiar in Ukraine, but until now has been completely foreign to Russia.

Shuga is the largest of 80 settlements that Ukraine has captured in the 10 days since it launched its surprise invasion of Kursk, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Thursday that it was under its control.

CNNi entered Russia under Ukrainian military escort, passing through a border post that had been reduced to rubble by Ukraine’s first offensive. The crossing to Susa was marked by a huge Orthodox Christian cross that read: “God, protect and preserve us.”

The city streets were mostly empty, but the sounds of war echoed around them. Small arms and artillery fire broke the silence, but from a distance.

“In one basement we saw a scene we have seen before in dozens of Ukrainian cities over the past two years, and it remains just as sad in Russia,” the report says.

At the entrance to the shelter, Stanislav was stroking his gray beard when asked what life was like. “Look, this is not life. This is existence. This is not life.”

In the dark, damp basement were isolated, confused patients. An old woman, still wearing her wig and scarlet summer dress, swayed slightly as she chanted: “And now I don’t know how it will end. At least a truce so we can live in peace. We don’t need anything. It’s my crutch, I can’t walk. It’s too hard.” Flies buzzed around her face in the damp darkness.

In the next room, a family of six was highlighted. “One week,” the man said. “No news. We don’t know what’s going on around us.” His son sat silently beside him, his white face “stoned.”

At the end of the corridor, Yefimov was talking to one of our Ukrainian escorts, who said he was about 90 years old. His daughter, niece and grandchildren are married to Ukrainian men and live in Ukraine, but he himself cannot find them.

How will the invasion of Kursk end?

It is not clear how this successful and surprise Ukrainian offensive will end, and where Russian forces will end up. However, Moscow has not yet launched a strong response to the invasion, but has warned of “proportionate” retaliation.

Analysts say Ukraine must decide whether to mobilize its forces and try to repel or consolidate its invasion or withdraw before Russia launches a furious and deadly response.