Russian leaders have accused the UK of playing a direct role in the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk since earlier in the week.
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A senior Russian politician on Wednesday evening accused the United Kingdom of not only instigating but participating in a “mini-invasion”, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
“English was asked,” State Duma deputy Atalbi Shkagoshev told Russian media on Wednesday. “Britain participated in all these categories.”
Since Tuesday, Ukrainian forces have penetrated several kilometers into Russian territory and captured ten villages with around a thousand men equipped with armored vehicles and tanks.
The troops are trying to strengthen their position in Russia, with a view to retaining territory, according to British media reports.
In the event that the Ukrainian military has part of Russian territory under its control during the negotiations, it could be used as a bargaining chip to recover Russian-occupied areas in southern and eastern Ukraine.
A former British intelligence officer quoted by the media outlet also admitted that the Ukrainians had pulled off a “masterstroke” that could change future peace talks.
“The mini-invasion targeted an area where Russian defenses were weak,” said Philip Ingram, a former official. “Ukraine Embarrasses Putin and Russian Military.”
“They brought the war to ordinary Russians and set the conditions for negotiations,” he said. “It’s too early to tell what Ukraine’s ultimate goals are, but on the face of it, it could be a masterstroke if it can continue its progress and fend off Russian counterattacks.”
As for Russian President Vladimir Putin, he described the incursion into his country’s territory as a “large-scale provocation.”
He now sees two options: accept an embarrassing territorial loss or rally the troops to oust the Ukrainians.
Russia must “feel” the consequences of the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Russia “must feel” the consequences of the invasion, which began in February 2022.
“Russia brought war to our country and must suffer the consequences,” said Mr. Zelensky said in his evening speech, without directly referring to this intrusion.
His adviser Mykhaïlo Podoliak confirmed that the surprise attack was the result of Russian “aggression” in Ukraine, which was clearly not communicated to Kyiv’s forces.
“Most of the international community now sees Russia as a legitimate target for any type of and any armed action,” he added, while many Western countries have banned Ukraine from using the weapons they supply to attack Russian territory.
Earlier in the day, on Ukrainian television, Mr. Podoliak ruled that the Russians should not follow the “environment” established to get something from Moscow “at the negotiating table.”
The United States, Kyiv’s main backer, reiterated on Thursday that it “strongly supports Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression.” Earlier in the day, Washington indicated that it had questioned Ukrainian officials to understand the “goals” of the unprecedented intrusion.
– In collaboration with AFP
