Ukrainian troops on incursion to 'destabilize' Russia

KIEV

Thousands of Ukrainian troops are taking part in an incursion aiming to destabilize Russia by showing up its weaknesses, a top Ukrainian official has told AFP as the assault entered its sixth day.

"We are on the offensive. The aim is to stretch the positions of the enemy, to inflict maximum losses and to destabilize the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border," the security official said on condition of anonymity.

The Russian army had said about 1,000 Ukrainian troops were deployed in the cross-border incursion which began on Tuesday and appeared to catch the Kremlin off guard, allowing Ukrainian forces to penetrate Russian defensive lines.

Asked whether the 1,000 figure was right, the official said: "It is a lot more... Thousands."

After days of official silence, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the offensive for the first time in his nightly address on Aug. 10, saying that Kiev was "pushing the war into the aggressor's territory."

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has waged an unrelenting offensive, occupying swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine and subjecting Ukrainian cities to daily missile and drone attacks.

After recapturing large areas in 2022, Ukrainian forces have largely been on the backfoot and are increasingly struggling with manpower and arms supplies.

But Ukrainian units stormed across the border on Aug. 6 in what so far has been the largest and most successful such offensive by Kiev in the conflict.

Its troops have advanced several kilometers forcing Russia's army to rush in reserves and extra equipment, though neither side has given precise details on the forces committed.

Russia has evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from the area and Ukraine has also evacuated thousands of people from the Sumy region across the border.

The operation has "greatly raised our morale, the morale of the Ukrainian army, state and society," the Ukrainian official said, speaking late on Aug. 10 after weeks of Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.

"This operation has shown that we can go on the offensive, move forward," the official said.

"It seems that the Russians have problems with coordination, preparedness for action," he said.

But he said there had been little effect so far on fighting in the east.

"The situation is basically unchanged. Their pressure in the east continues, they are not pulling back troops from the area," he said, adding only that "the intensity of Russian attacks has gone down a little bit."

The official said Ukrainian troops would respect international humanitarian law while on Russian territory and had no plans to annex areas they currently hold.

Asked whether capturing the Kursk nuclear power plant near the border was an aim, he said: "We will see how the Kursk operation will develop."

"We absolutely will not cause problems for nuclear security. This we can guarantee," he said.