Pakistan presents a unique opportunity for the U.S. in the war on terror

Since the United States pulled their troops out of Afghanistan in 2021 there has been a noticeable lack of intelligence being produced out of that region compared to when there were boots on the ground.

ByRishi Singh
August 10, 2024

Photo by Pixabay on pexels

Since the United States pulled their troops out of Afghanistan in 2021 there has been a noticeable lack of intelligence being produced out of that region compared to when there were boots on the ground. The US now relies on the ‘Over the Horizon’ approach, focusing on drone strikes to target terror groups in Afghanistan, particularly ISIS – Khorasan (ISIS-K) However, while ISIS-K has been in the spotlight lately, there is a growing fear over the resurgence of Al-Qaeda. Naveen Khan paints a sobering picture regarding Al-Qaeda’s future in her recent article called “Core Al-Qaeda Poses a High Threat to the United States.” It highlights that today Al-Qaeda has access to resources and the freedom to operate that they had not had since pre 9/11. She even asserts that Al-Qaeda could have the operational capacity to strike the United States within 12 to 36 months. 

Pakistan offers a unique opportunity for the United States to gain information and intelligence that it no longer has access to. On June 27th Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that Tehreek-e-Taliban – Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan can be targeted under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam. This announcement comes after months of Pakistan trying to engage in talks with Afghanistan about ramping up counter terrorism efforts in Afghanistan, where Pakistan claims the TTP has used to plot attacks. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan the number of terrorism incidents has been increasing, see Figure 1 below. 

Figure 1: According to GRID (GTTAC Research Incidents Database) from 2019 to June 2024

Figure 1 shows the number of terrorism incidents in Pakistan from 2019 through June 2024. The graph shows stable numbers of attacks in Pakistan in 2019 and 2020. However, following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan there is a clear trend of increasing attacks in the region that could easily hit 800 incidents in 2024, around a 300% increase. The attacks have led Pakistan to accuse the Afghan Taliban of providing a safe haven for the TTP to launch and plan their attacks in Pakistan. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif says TTP hideouts in Afghanistan can be targeted under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam. While these operations have not yet started, it is imperative that the US supports Pakistan’s efforts as Al-Qaeda and ISIS-K have been free to operate. The United Nations (UN)  recently released a report regarding the TTP on July 12th, “The Taliban do not conceive of TTP as a terrorist group: the bonds are close, and the debt owed to TTP significant,” The UN Security Council states the TTP has become the largest group that now operates freely in Afghanistan with around 6000-6500 fighters. Pakistan now faces an existential threat without having the proper resources to effectively deal with the threat at hand. 

Pakistan needs to seek tangible support from other countries. However, neighboring superpowers like Russia and China may be unwilling to provide such assistance. They view the new Taliban regime as an opportunity rather than a threat to their national security. China sees the new regime as an opportunity to create new energy and mining projects while exploring investment options. Russia has played with the idea of removing the Taliban from their list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and opening diplomatic relations with the Taliban government. This leaves the United States as the best option for support, especially when pitching the rising threat of ISIS-K. The increasing numbers of claimed ISIS-K attacks shown in Figure 2 are worrisome and have become more than just a regional threat.

Figure 2: According to GRID (GTTAC Research Incidents Database) from 2019 to June 2024

Figure 2 shows the recent trends associated with Islamic State in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The attacks shown in the figure are incidents that have been claimed by the two groups. It is important to note the increasing trend among ISIS – Khorasan (ISIS-K). ISIS was a group that was believed to have been largely defeated following western counter terrorism efforts in the Middle east and Western Asia. As the trends suggest, there has been a recent resurgence with more attacks being claimed including the deadly attack in Moscow on March 22 that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more. In 2024, a new ISIS faction was created known as Islamic State – Pakistan Province (ISIS-PP) that has already claimed four attacks. The safe haven the Taliban state has created in Afghanistan for terror groups has shown its effect not only regionally but globally as well. 

Following the announcement of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, the United States should seize the opportunity for more intelligence on top commanders of the different groups. With the over the horizon approach, decapitation has become the default method for their efforts. By obtaining more and timelier information it will benefit the United States’ efforts to limit the growth of ISIS-K and Al-Qaeda groups. The United States must remember the importance of preventative measures before history has a chance to repeat itself. The exchange of intelligence could provide the United States with the ability to better monitor the growing threats in the region as well as strengthen national security ties with Pakistan.

Rishi Singh

My name is Rishi Singh, I recently graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Global Affairs and a minor in Intelligence Studies. My studies focused on the Theory and Social Dynamics of Terrorism. I currently work at the Global Terrorism Trends and Analysis Center (gttac.com) with a focus on Pakistan and Southeast Asia. My job works on documenting and analyzing the terrorism trends in the assigned regions.

 PAKISTAN

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Nine iron, steel importers laundered money

Muhammad Ali Published August 10, 2024

KARACHI: Some nine iron and steel importers have been caught in a massive money laundering worth a staggering Rs 9.7 billion, committed in the last three fiscal years. This was revealed in a classified document, which was exclusively available to Business Recorder, Karachi.

According to the details, the Post Clearance Audit (PCA), South has uncovered a huge money laundering case involving around Rs 9.7 billion in the iron and steel sector.

The scandal is linked to nine fraudulent importers who exploited the “manufacturing status” to evade Rs 315 million in duty taxes.

PCA South initiated a sector-based audit focusing on iron and steel imports, following reports of massive misuse.

Solar panel imports: PCA South uncovers another money laundering offence

PCA South issued audit notices to the nine importers, however, all notices were returned by the courier company with remarks that the addresses were untraceable.

Upon verifications by the PCA teams, it was confirmed that said nine importers were physically non-existent.

Scrutiny of the FBR database led to the discovery that these companies had transferred Rs 9.72 billion abroad while evading Rs 315 million in taxes through illegal exemptions availed by way of misuse of manufacturing status.

The modus operandi of these importers indicated a well-orchestrated plot to siphon funds out of the country illegally.

The importers falsely claimed exemptions and reduced rates of duty/taxes that were only allowed for manufacturing enterprises. The importers engaged in commercial sales of same-state iron and steel products while lacking any manufacturing facilities or business premises.

The scrutiny also revealed that said nine importers had very poor financial worth, as per their income tax declarations, which made financing such massive imports highly suspicious.

Even more striking, three of the nine importers did not file income tax returns at all, thus substantiating “Nil” financial worth, while financing imports worth Rs 2.48 billion, showcasing a blatant money laundering scam.

The PCA teams are intensively probing to identify the real masterminds behind these fraudulent operations. To hold the true perpetrators accountable, the investigation is expected to uncover deeper layers of this intricate scam. Investigation will also cover as to how such companies managed to acquire manufacturing status registrations without having any physical existence at all.

PCA teams, led by Director General Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali and Director PCA South Sheeraz Ahmed, are now probing to identify the true masterminds behind these fraudulent operations.

The investigation aims not only to hold the real perpetrators accountable but also to uncover the deeper layers of this complex scam. A key focus of the inquiry is to determine how these non-existent companies managed to acquire manufacturing status registrations without any physical presence.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

‘War has come to us’: Russia forced to evacuate tens of thousands from border region amid struggle to contain Ukrainian blitz


Ukrainian servicemen ride a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the Russian border in Sumy region, Ukraine August 10, 2024

Sunday, 11 Aug 2024 

MOSCOW, Aug 11 — Russia said Saturday it had evacuated tens of thousands of people from its border region and launched a “counter-terror operation” as it struggled to contain a major Ukrainian incursion.

At the same time, Moscow warned that the fighting in Russia’s western Kursk region was endangering a nuclear power plant.

Ukrainian units stormed across the border on Tuesday morning in what so far has been the largest and most successful such offensive by Kyiv in the two-and-a-half-year conflict.

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

Local officials detailed the scale of civilian evacuations from towns and villages close to the combat zone.

“More than 76,000 people have been temporarily relocated to safe places,” the state-run TASS news agency quoted an official from the regional emergency situations ministry as saying at a press briefing on Saturday.

Emergency aid has been ferried into the border area and extra trains to the capital Moscow have been put on for people fleeing the fighting.


“The war has come to us,” one woman — who declined to give her name — told AFP after arriving at a Moscow train station on Friday.

Late on Saturday however, air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

AFP journalists noted at least two flashes in the night sky, and Ukraine’s air force said five other regions were being attacked by drones.



Local residents from a village near the Russian border board a bus during an evacuation to Sumy due to Russian shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy region, Ukraine August 9, 2024. — Reuters pic

Mass evacuations

Kyiv has maintained a strict operational silence on the offensive and for several days Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made only oblique references to the fighting there.

But in Saturday’s evening address, Zelensky referred to army chief Oleksandr Syrsky’s briefings “on the frontline and our actions and pushing the war into the aggressor’s territory”.

Thanking the soldiers involved, he added: “Ukraine is proving that it can really bring justice and guarantees exactly the kind of pressure that is needed — pressure on the aggressor.”

Russia’s army on Saturday confirmed it was still fighting the Ukrainian incursion for a fifth day.

It said Kyiv’s forces had initially crossed the border with around 1,000 troops, 20 armoured vehicles and 11 tanks, though it claimed on Saturday to have destroyed five times that much military hardware so far.

‘Unprecedented’

Russia’s national anti-terrorism committee said late Friday it was starting “counter-terror operations in the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions” to protect citizens.

The Belgorod and Bryansk regions bordering Ukraine have also been hit hard by shelling and aerial attacks since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022.

Security forces and the military have sweeping emergency powers during “counter-terror” operations.

Movement is restricted, vehicles can be seized, phone calls can be monitored, areas are declared no-go zones, checkpoints introduced, and security is beefed up at key infrastructure sites.

On the streets of Moscow Saturday, AFP journalists found support for tough measures to quell the response, but also some anger at how the incursion had been allowed to happen.

“We have to take all the steps that are possible in such a situation,” said Alexander Ilyin, a 42-year-old architect.

The anti-terrorism committee said Ukraine had mounted an “unprecedented attempt to destabilise the situation in a number of regions of our country”.

Russia on Friday appeared to hit back, launching a missile strike on a supermarket in the east Ukrainian town of Kostyantynivka that killed at least 14 people.

Another three were killed in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Saturday, local officials said.

Ukraine also said it had had to evacuate 20,000 people from the Sumy region, just across the border from Kursk.

While neither side has provided precise details on Ukraine’s incursion, Russia’s defence ministry on Saturday said it had hit some Ukrainian positions as far as 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border.

It also reported hitting Ukrainian troops in areas 30 kilometres apart — an indication as to the breadth, as well as depth of Ukraine’s advance.

Belarus, Russia’s close ally, on Saturday ordered military reinforcements — ground troops, air units, air defence and rocket systems — to be deployed closer to its border with Ukraine in response to Kyiv’s incursion, its defence ministry said.

‘Particularly effective’

Russia’s nuclear agency on Saturday warned of a “direct threat” to the nearby Kursk nuclear power station, less than 50 kilometres from the fighting.

“The actions of the Ukrainian army pose a direct threat” to the Kursk plant in western Russia, state news agencies cited its atomic energy agency Rosatom as saying.

On Friday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressing similar concerns, had called for “maximum restraint”.

Zelensky’s comments Saturday notwithstanding, Ukraine’s leaders have remained tight-lipped on the operation.

The United States, Kyiv’s closest ally, said it had not been informed of the plans in advance.

Elsewhere on the frontline, Ukraine on Saturday reported the lowest number of “combat engagements” on its territory since June 10.

That could be a sign its incursion is helping to relieve pressure on other parts of the sprawling frontline where Moscow’s troops had been advancing. — AFP

Russia takes emergency measures in border regions after Ukraine incursion

Moscow’s “counterterrorism measures” follow Kyiv’s biggest cross-border ground offensive since Russia’s invasion

Moscow has sent reinforcement troops and military equipment to halt Ukraine's advances. | Aleksey Babushkin/Sputnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

August 10, 2024 

By Paula Andrés

Moscow announced “counterterrorism measures” late Friday in three regions bordering Ukraine — Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk — following cross-border incursions by Kyiv's forces.

Ukraine is continuing to push into Russian territory after launching its surprise incursion across the border earlier this week, according to national media. The cross-border raid by Ukrainian forces its Kyiv's largest in the two-and-a-half years of conflict after Moscow launched its all-out invasion in early 2022.

"The Kyiv regime made an unprecedented attempt to destabilize the situation in a number of regions of our country,” Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee said in a statement justifying the operation “to ensure the safety of citizens and stop the threat of terrorist acts.”

Moscow has sent reinforcement troops and military equipment to the regions, including tanks, rocket launchers and aviation units to halt Ukraine's advances, according to reports.

Kyiv’s Western allies, sometimes reluctant about any attack inside Russian territory, have made no signs of opposing Kyiv’s military moves across the border. The U.S. on Friday announced an additional $125 million (€114 million) in weapons to assist Ukraine’s military operations against Russia, including anti-tank missiles and ammunition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has so far refrained from commenting specifically on the incursion into Russia. “I thank each of our warriors — those who are destroying the Russian occupiers, holding the frontline, and ensuring that Ukraine remains on the world map,” Zelenskyy posted on X on Friday.

A roll of the dice Ukraine’s surprise incursion has opened a front on Russian territory, but the operation carries significant risks

 August 10, 2024
Source: Meduza
CLICK TO SEE INTERACTIVE MAP

Like our earlier reports on the combat situation in Ukraine, this article takes stock of the recent developments on the battlefield based on open-source information. Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very start, and our detailed military analyses are part of our commitment to objective reporting on a war we firmly oppose.
Our map is based exclusively on open-source photos and videos, most of them posted by eyewitnesses on social media. We collect available evidence and determine its geolocation markers, adding only the photos and videos that clear this process. Meduza doesn’t try to track the conflict in real time; the data reflected on the map are typically at least 48 hours old.

Key updates as of August 10, 2024

On August 6, several Ukrainian brigades, supported by air defense systems and a drone operator regiment, crossed the Russian border into the Kursk region at points both west and east of the Sudzha border crossing. They captured the crossing itself the next day, with dozens of border guards surrendering. Ukrainian troops encountered only weak resistance from Russia’s “border cover regiments” — light infantry units formed last year to defend against raids by Ukrainian special forces. These regiments, partially composed of non-mobilized conscripts, weren’t equipped to face regular troops numbering in the thousands and armed with heavy equipment. As a result, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) were able to advance 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) or more on the first day of the offensive in two directions west of the city of Sudzha.

In the first days of the offensive, it quickly became evident that Russia didn’t have sufficient reserve troops in the Kursk region to repel such an attack — something Ukrainian intelligence likely knew in advance. The Kursk region falls under the responsibility of the Russian army’s “Sever” operational group, which has been embroiled in heavy fighting in the northern part of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region since May 2024. There were indications that a reserve force for the group, the 44th Army Corps (officially created in 2024 in Luga, Leningrad region), was being finalized in the Kursk region. Throughout the summer, pro-war Telegram channels posted recruitment ads for the corps. However, it appears that the brigades and division intended to form its backbone were never fully established, and some of the newly formed units were likely sent to the Kharkiv region to reinforce “Sever,” which had suffered heavy losses.

The AFU attempted to push “Sever” troops out of the Kharkiv and Vovchansk areas and back across the border, aiming to free up eight to 10 brigades that the Ukrainian command had deployed there in May as reinforcements. However, this effort was unsuccessful. Ukrainian intelligence, though, seems to have identified vulnerabilities along Russia’s border in other areas. This opened the door for an operation that, according to the Ukrainian command’s plan, is likely intended to force “Sever” to ease its pressure near Kharkiv, potentially enabling the AFU to push the group back into Russia.

However, it’s clear that the ideas behind this operation are somewhat shaky, and the operation itself carries significant risks. The brigades involved were pulled from the front lines during the spring and summer to be replenished with personnel and equipment. Meanwhile, on the front lines — especially in central and southern Donbas — the AFU is clearly facing a severe shortage of troops, forcing them to slowly retreat. Russian forces in Donbas have moved closer to logistics hubs that are crucial to the Ukrainian army’s defense. If the AFU fails to secure a foothold in the Kursk region, exploit the crisis in the “Sever” group to defeat it near Kharkiv, and then quickly redeploy freed-up reserves to Donbas, this could lead to a major defeat for the Ukrainian army in the east of the country.

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Kursk region, Russia

After breaking through west of Sudzha and capturing the village of Sverdlikovo, the AFU formed two groupings. One advanced northwest, likely intending to secure the newly established foothold from the Korenevo side, where Russian forces might gather for a counterattack. On the first day of the incursion, the AFU captured several villages west of Sverdlikovo: Zelenyi Shlyakh, Leonidovo, Lyubimovka, and Novoivanovka. They either did not plan to advance further or were halted by Russian airstrikes and the arrival of initial reserves. In any case, the AFU lost several pieces of equipment here.

The second grouping bypassed Sudzha from the west, occupying the western outskirts of the city and quickly reaching the village of Malaya Loknya. From there, part of the troops — mainly mobile light infantry groups — turned east, encircling Sudzha from the north. They reached the Sudzha–Kursk highway, where they attempted to cut off supplies to Russian troops (border guards and infantry from the same “border cover regiments”).

By the end of the third day, judging by all available open-source videos, the AFU had gained control of the western outskirts of Sudzha (Goncharovka, Zaoleshenka) but not the city center. The highway to Kursk wasn’t entirely blocked physically, but it was under fire control (including small arms fire) and monitored by kamikaze drones.

The AFU’s “western” grouping held its positions along the Lyubimovka–Novoivanovka line, while the “northern” grouping operated north of Malaya Loknya. The pause in the offensive appears to be due less to increased resistance from Russian reserves and more to the advancing troops becoming separated from their rear lines, which are still on Ukrainian territory. The artillery and drones used by Ukrainian forces have an effective range of about 10 to 15 kilometers (about six to nine miles), which is exactly how far they’ve advanced from the border to the northwest and north. On August 9, they began moving artillery into the Kursk region (judging by open-source videos, several units were hit by Russian airstrikes and long-range Lancet kamikaze drones). This indicates that the AFU have not yet reached the positions outlined in their operational plan.

What happens next will depend on the reserves both commands can muster for the operation. The AFU will need additional forces to advance further or even to secure their current foothold. The Russian army, on the other hand, will have to build a new grouping from scratch to try to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region. The fighting could drag on, much like it has in the Kharkiv region. Meanwhile, the Russian command doesn’t yet need to halt its offensive in Donbas. It can redeploy troops from other parts of the front in Ukraine, such as the eastern bank of the Dnipro River or the Zaporizhzhia region.

Toretsk, Ukraine

The Russian army is continuing its advance on Toretsk in central Donbas. The satellite settlements of Druzhba, Pivdenne, Pivnichne, Zalizne, and Niu-York are almost completely captured, and Russian troops have reached the spoil tips of the mines just outside the city. Ukrainian troops positioned between Zalizne and Niu-York, who are defending fortifications built since 2015, are now at risk of being surrounded.

Ukrainian forces in Niu-York are attempting to counterattack, but if the situation doesn’t change in the coming weeks, they’ll likely have to retreat southwest of Toretsk. If Toretsk falls, Russian forces could advance toward Kostiantynivka and Chasiv Yar from the south, with Chasiv Yar already under attack from the east.

Pokrovsk, Ukraine

Russian forces continue to advance along a broad front, with the main axis of the offensive following the Avdiivka–Pokrovsk railway. The pace of the offensive has accelerated in recent weeks. Russian troops are close to capturing another significant AFU stronghold near the village of Zhelanne, located along the railway. Further north, they’re approaching the key village of Hrodivka, which shields Pokrovsk from the east.

If this rate of advance continues, Russian forces will reach Pokrovsk and the nearby city of Myrnohrad in early fall. At that point, even before the fighting begins, these towns will no longer be able to function as the main logistics hub for the AFU in central and southern Donbas. This leaves the Ukrainian command with little time for offensives in the north of the country — substantial reinforcements are urgently needed near Pokrovsk.

The red dots show recent events, and the gray dots show earlier events. Black indicates the approximate contact line as of the last update; the red and blue areas mark places occupied (since early September) by Russian and Ukrainian forces. Clicking on them will provide additional information. Air strikes are marked with a special icon, ground operations with dots. Click on the point on the map to pull up source links.

Analysis
Three theories around why Ukraine carried out audacious, high-risk incursion into Russia

Kyiv's attack on the Kursk region caught Russia and the world by surprise. What remains are questions about what Ukraine aims to achieve longer term and how Moscow might respond.

Deborah Haynes
Security and Defence Editor @haynesdeborah
Saturday 10 August 2024 


The sight of Ukrainian forces raising their flag over Russian territory is a humiliation for Vladimir Putin, but Ukraine's audacious incursion into Russia is a high-risk gamble.

The shock of seeing Ukrainian soldiers make any kind of gain inside his country - even though it is armed with nuclear weapons and is a global power - will likely prompt the Russian president to order a significant response to deter others from trying.

Ukrainian authorities on Friday said they were evacuating some 20,000 people from the Sumy region, which shares a border with the area in southwestern Russia that Ukraine has targeted - an indication that there is a fear Moscow will seek to retaliate.

Kyiv's attack on the Kursk region, which began on Tuesday and likely involved thousands of troops, came almost two and a half years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in the opposite direction.

The operation appears to have been carefully planned and meticulously executed in top secret, catching Russia and the world by surprise.



What does Ukraine's incursion into Russia mean?

However, there are questions about what Ukraine aims to achieve longer term beyond shocking Moscow and demonstrating that its neighbour's borders are no longer secure.

Analysts say the offensive could be designed to capture and hold territory to be used as a bargaining chip to secure the release of Ukrainian land occupied by Russian forces.

But such a move would require a huge commitment of Ukrainian troops over time to counter Russian efforts to push them back and it is not clear if Kyiv has the manpower.

Another possibility is that Ukraine hopes to draw Russian forces away from frontline positions in eastern and southern Ukraine to shore up their own defences - though this might not be necessary given the number of reserves inside Russia that are still able to be deployed.

Ukrainian residents in the Sumy region arrive at an evacuation centre. Pic: Reuters

A third theory is that Ukraine might be seeking to capture a nuclear plant in Kursk to be used as leverage to force Russian troops to withdraw from a major nuclear power facility in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, captured in the early days of the war - but again this would be a huge undertaking, requiring significant Ukrainian reinforcements.

Whatever the goal, the mission is not without significant risk.

Two sources voiced concern the assault - while "tactically smart" - could galvanise anti-Ukrainian sentiment among the Russian public and make it easier for Moscow to further mobilise its people to fight back even harder.

There is also the impact on Ukraine's already overstretched forces of extending the frontline into Russia, with troops still required to hold the line against invading Russian soldiers in the northeast, east and south of their own country as well.

Ukrainian troops claimed they have taken control of the border town of Sudzha

Yet - in what was surely a major morale boost at the very least for Ukraine - the incursion appeared to catch the Kremlin completely off guard in a major security failing.

Mr Putin was forced to send in reinforcements to the Kursk region on Friday in an indication that the situation remains far from under control, despite assurances from his military chief two days earlier that the Ukrainian assault had been stopped.

Ukraine's government has yet to comment directly on the offensive - a tight hold on information has been another element in the planning of the mission.

However, Ukrainian troops in a video shared widely on social media claimed they had taken control of the border town of Sudzha.

Read more:
All calm on Russia's front pages

Prof Michael Clarke analyses Ukraine's attack

A soldier who identified himself as being from the 61st Separate Mechanized Stephova Brigade said the town was "quiet".

Standing before a Ukrainian flag, he also said his troops had seized the local offices of Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom.

It was not possible to verify the claims but clashes have been reported around the outskirts of the small town of some 6,000 people, which lies just a few miles from the border.

With much uncertainty about what happens next, three things are clear.

The cross-border attack by Ukraine is the biggest of its kind of the war and poses one of the gravest challenges yet to Mr Putin, who has consistently told his people that his "special military operation" in Ukraine is going to plan.

It also demonstrates that militaries can still surprise an opponent in an era when the ubiquitous use of drones and satellites make secret movements on the battlefield much harder to execute without being spotted.

Russia battles thousands of Ukrainian troops as deep as 20km into their territory after incursion

Copyright AP/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service
By Euronews with AP & EBU
Published on 10/08/2024 -

Intense battles raged over the Russian border on Saturday, after thousands of Ukrainian troops launched a large-scale incursion into the country which invaded them in 2022.

Russia fought intense battles against thousands of Ukrainian troops on Saturday, following Ukraine’s largest incursion on Moscow’s territory since the start of the war in 2022.

Ukrainian troops have reportedly pushed as deep as 20km into the Russian territory of Kursk.

Kyiv’s forces had launched an attack over the Russian border on Tuesday, sweeping across Kursk in a surprise attack supported by drones and artillery fire.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that “the armed forces continue to repel the attempted invasion by the Ukrainian armed forces,” adding that fighting was focused around settlements 10-20km inside Russia.

In a sign of the gravity of the attack, Russia imposed a security regime on three border regions on Saturday. Russia also announced a federal emergency following the assault.

Russia evacuated 76,000 people from the Kursk region following the incursion, according to the Tass news agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy acknowledged that the war is moving onto Russian territory during his nightly address on Saturday, highlighting Ukraine’s efforts to push the conflict beyond its borders.


He praised the Ukrainian forces for their efforts, saying that he noted reports from military officials concerning their advancements.

Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s ability to exert pressure on the aggressor, marking a significant shift in the dynamics of the conflict as it extends into Russian territory

76,000 Evacuated as Ukrainian Troops Push into Russia's Kursk Region

World » RUSSIA | August 10, 2024, Saturday // 22:42e

Over 76,000 people have been evacuated from areas bordering Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region, according to the local Emergencies Ministry, as reported by Reuters and TASS. This mass evacuation follows the Ukrainian invasion of the region, which began earlier this week.

Russia is currently engaged in intense battles against thousands of Ukrainian soldiers who have advanced up to 20 kilometers into the Kursk region. Reuters describes this as the largest Ukrainian attack on Russian sovereign territory since the war began in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the Ukrainian offensive a major provocation. Although top Russian General Valery Gerasimov announced on Wednesday that the invasion had been halted, Russian forces have not yet succeeded in pushing the Ukrainian military (AFU) back across the border.

Russian military bloggers report that the situation has stabilized after Russia deployed additional forces to counter the surprise offensive. A video verified by Reuters shows a convoy of burnt-out Russian military trucks on a highway in the Kursk region, with around 15 vehicles visible, including one marked with the Z symbol, which Moscow uses for its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Belarus is amassing troops along the border with Ukraine in the tactical areas of Gomel and Mazyr. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, commenting on Ukrainian drone incursions into Belarusian airspace, stated, "I don't understand why Ukraine needs this. We have to figure it out. As I said before, we made it clear to them that any provocations will not go unanswered."

The Ukrainian advance has raised concerns in Moscow about how Ukrainian forces managed to penetrate the Kursk region so easily. Ukrainian troops are reportedly advancing towards the Kursk nuclear power plant, which supplies a significant portion of southern Russia's electricity. The plant has six reactors, with two operational, two shut down, and two under construction.

The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has noted the "significant military activity" in the area and has called for restraint.