Russia's Response to Ukraine's Incursion in Kursk

Russia intensifies attacks in eastern Ukraine as it fights against Kyiv's cross-border incursion. Ukraine claims more advances, prisoners taken as it presses an incursion into Russia.

The incursion has rattled the Kremlin and caused a regional emergency in Russia's Belgorod border region. Zelenskyy says the operation is intended to lift Ukraine's spirits while a Russian woman in Belgorod notes decreased civilian support for the war following the intensified Ukrainian attacks.

Russia claims to have destroyed 117 Ukrainian drones and 4 missiles while Biden says the developments in Russia are 'creating a real dilemma' for Putin. Russia has moved some troops from Ukraine to fight the incursion in Kursk but is reluctant to draw from units in the Donetsk direction.

The incursion is unlikely to shift the dynamics of the war, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The Ukrainian incursion into Kursk has sparked outrage among pro-Kremlin commentators, who claim the attack was orchestrated by NATO.

Ukraine's bold move risks provoking a strong Russian response, but the continued attacks on border areas demonstrate that neither side is invulnerable, potentially creating an opportunity for diplomatic progress.