Moscow scramble to respond as the Ukrainians push inside Russia

The Russian Operation in the First Days of the First World War: General Relative Impatience and Dismay at the Kremlin

Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s general staff, said in a Kremlin briefing Wednesday that some 1,000 Ukrainian troops were taking part, backed by dozens of armored vehicles. Russia has sent reinforcements to drive the Ukrainians back across the border.

Putin looked at the assessment with a mixture of impatience and disgust. He thought the Ukrainian incursion was a large-scale provocation.

The operation that appears to be the largest inside Russia since the beginning of the war was not commented on by the Ukrainian government or military.

He seemed to say that the operation was necessary to drive Russia away from border areas where they were launching attacks.

Some military analysts are questioning if this incursion makes sense. They note Ukraine has far fewer troops than Russia and needs all the forces it can muster to defend its own territory. The Russian troops could be more vulnerable to attack in Ukraine because of the large force sent on the offensive.

In the past weeks, Russia has seized a number of villages in eastern Ukraine. The Russian offensive has gained steam in a war where the frontline has not changed much over the past year.

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 Ukraine received its first bunch of fighter jets. The number of planes that Ukraine says it needs to effectively counter Russia in the skies is less than 10.

“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 Russian Army’s offensive on Tuesday night: how the fighting affected Russian society and how it affected Russian civilians perception of war in the Western Region of Kursk

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. Train service has been canceled due to the fighting. In addition, videos show Russian civilians pleading for help from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military, saying they fear for their lives.

In his nightly address, the Ukrainian President said that Russia should feel bad about what it has done. Ukrainians are able to achieve their goals.

Military officials from the Russian army said they have sent reinforcements to the region, that they had defeated the Ukrainian army and were expected to regain control of the border soon.

Many Russian military bloggers, however, are presenting a contradictory assessment, saying the fighting is ongoing in multiple villages, with Russian forces suffering setbacks and struggling to gain the upper hand.

Local Russian officials have reported dozens of civilians killed in their areas in posts on Telegram, but neither Russia or Ukraine has provided casualty figures.

In addition, the ultimate aim of the Ukrainian operation is not clear. The offensive caught the Russians off guard and has somewhat lifted the mood of the Ukrainians.

The events in this area or the Russian border region will have a psychological effect on Russian society. Mykhailo Podolyak said they would, without a doubt. “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.”