The Ukrainian incursion is a “large-scale provocation” and “weakly armed” says President Vlasov

The posts state that Ukrainian troops have penetrated at least 6 miles into Russian territory. The Ukrainians have gone further.

Putin looked like he was impatience and disgust when he listened to the assessment. He called the Ukrainian incursion a “large-scale provocation.”

Ukraine is not commenting on the current developments, and many details remain sketchy. In an interview with NPR, Mykhailo Podolak, one of the top advisers to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, declined to provide any specifics.

He said that the operation was needed in order to drive Russia away from border areas where it had been launching attacks.

However, some military analysts are questioning whether this incursion makes military sense. Ukraine has fewer troops than Russia and needs all the forces it can muster to defend its territory, according to them. By sending a sizable force on an offensive operation inside Russia, Ukraine could be even more vulnerable to the Russian troops attacking inside Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is on the defensive at home, struggling to halt, or at least limit, a Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region. In the last few weeks, Russians forces seized a number of villages, making them one of their most successful ground operations in the last year. Waves of Russian troops toward the Ukrainian lines have resulted in losses for the Russians. The Russians claim villages have been reduced to rubble in the fighting.

The Ukrainians say the main Russian aim appears to be the town of Pokrovsk, which serves as a transportation hub for sending Ukrainian troops and supplies to the frontlines.

The first set of F-16 fighter jets arrived inUkraine last week. The 10 or so planes is not enough for Ukraine to successfully counter Russia in the skies.

“Today, our biggest problem is their supremacy in the air, the huge amount of glide bombs that give them the opportunity to attack us from longer distances,” said Podolyak.

The Ukrainian Operation in Kursk, Ukraine, During World War II: How Russia and the Ukraini troops see their war/confinement

Video on social media showed long lines of Russia civilians driving out of villages in the western region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched the operation Tuesday. Russia has canceled train service in several parts of Kursk due to the fighting. Russian civilians in videos plead for help from the Russian military, saying they fear for their lives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his video address that Russia brought war to our land and should feel bad about it. Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals.”

Russian military officials said they have sent reinforcements to Kursk, that they were defeating the Ukrainian forces and expected to regain control of the border soon.

The fighting is ongoing and the Russians are struggling to get the upper hand, according to many Russian military blogs.

Local Russian officials have reported dozens of civilian casualties in their areas in posts on Telegram, but neither Russia nor Ukraine have provided overall casualty figures.

The Ukrainian operation’s ultimate aim isn’t clear. The offensive clearly caught the Russians off guard and and has lifted the mood of Ukrainians, at least temporarily.

“Will the events in this or that Russian border region have a psychological impact on [Russian] society? Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, said that they will. “When you increase Russian losses, when you ramp up their war costs, such as destroyed military equipment, lost territory, lost people, will this affect how they perceive their war? Without a doubt.”