A Ukraine invasion of internationally recognised Russian territory has sparked energy concerns.
Officials in Kyiv remain tight-lipped about the incursion into the Kursk Oblast — an undisputed part of the Russian Federation — though third-party sources say that the offensive is sizeable, and could involve over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Fighting in the region is said to have drawn dangerously close to a major natural gas transmission hub in Sudzha. Natural gas prices in Europe have risen as a result.
According to Reuters, this is the last operational trans-shipping point for Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory, though representatives from Ukraine’s national gas operator insist that supplies continue to flow normally through the pipeline network as of the time of writing.
After claiming the events in Kursk were so irrelevant, they didn't even need to call in aviation, Dva Majors proceeds to post video of uncalled Aviation operating North-East of Sudzha, Kursk@GeoConfirmed @UAControlMap
Destroyed Truck here: 51.222474, 35.318626
2x SU-25 Plane… pic.twitter.com/jmSTzGa0b4— PJ "giK" (@giK1893) August 6, 2024
Another point of concern is the Kursk nuclear power station. Lying several kilometres away from the newly-opened front, some Russian pundits have speculated that Ukraine could be attempting to capture the facility for strategic ends.
If successful, they say Ukraine could safely wind down the plant, denying power to the Russian region, or threaten to destroy the plant in the hopes of earning concessions from Moscow, such as the surrender of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Ukraine struck Russia’s Kursk region with drones and rockets on Wednesday as part of what Russian officials said was a major attempt to smash through the Russian border. https://t.co/GKTIoiLPow
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 7, 2024
Having begun on August 6, the current state of the Ukraine offensive is unknown.
Kyiv has so far refused to officially acknowledge any offensive is taking place at all, only saying that increased fighting is occurring in Sumy, the Ukrainian region that borders it.
Third-party intelligence organisation the Institute for the Study of War meanwhile says that Ukraine’s advance has been substantial, having penetrated up to 10 kilometres into the territory.
Russian state media cites Moscow as saying that a counter-offensive against the Ukrainians is now underway. Kremlin officials claim that the assault has now been successfully halted, and that Russian forces were now in the process of pushing the invaders back over the border.
State-owned news outlet TASS claims that Ukrainian forces have suffered 260 casualties as a result of the attack, and that it has lost “50 pieces of armoured vehicles, including seven tanks, eight APCs, three IFVs and 31 armoured combat vehicles”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed the incursion as “another major provocation” from Kyiv.
International reactions have been more sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause, with EU officials saying that Ukraine is justified in its military actions.
“Ukraine has the legal right to defend itself, including striking an aggressor on its territory,” European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said regarding the incident.
“The EU continues to fully support Ukraine’s legitimate right to defence against Russian aggression and its efforts to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The response from the White House has been more muted, with Washington appearing to indicate they are unaware of the strategic goal of the attack.
“We’re going to reach out to the Ukrainian military to learn more about their objectives,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remarked.
Brussels is behind Ukraine’s attempt to block oil from entering Hungary and Slovakia, Budapest’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has claimed. https://t.co/TGz55MO5UP
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 5, 2024
