Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attempting to attack a nuclear power plant in Russia’s Kursk region during the night. He made this claim during a meeting with senior officials on Thursday, where they discussed Moscow's response to Ukraine's actions in the border region. Putin stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency had been informed of the attempted strike.
Kursk’s governor, Alexei Smirnov, reported that 133,190 people had evacuated the border area, while Bryansk’s governor, Alexander Bogomaz, informed Putin that an attempted Ukrainian incursion had been repelled overnight. The Ukrainian offensive into the Kursk region, which began more than two weeks ago, saw thousands of Ukrainian troops breach Russia’s western border, catching Moscow off guard.
Ukraine has not immediately responded to Putin’s accusations. However, Ukrainian military officers have reportedly attributed their recent losses in Donetsk to the inexperience of recruits. Some recruits have allegedly refused to fire on the enemy and struggled with basic combat tasks, according to a report by the Associated Press on Thursday. In some cases, recruits have even abandoned their posts.
Amid these developments, the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk has raised significant concerns for Putin, casting doubt on his ability to maintain the control necessary for his leadership. The Ukrainian forces now hold over 1,250 square kilometers of Russian territory, a situation that has not occurred since World War II. This development, coupled with successful drone strikes on Moscow, is likely exacerbating Putin's worries.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces have released video footage showing what they claim are U.S.-made missiles destroying pontoon bridges in Kursk. The footage reportedly shows Himars rockets hitting a pontoon bridge, which Kyiv said was destroyed along with crucial Russian equipment. While Washington has not commented on the strike, Kyiv acknowledged on Wednesday that U.S.-made weapons were used in the Kursk incursion.
In response to the destruction of three critical bridges along the River Seym near the settlements of Glushkovo, Zvan, and Karyzh last weekend, Russia scrambled to construct pontoon bridges. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces commented on the situation, asking rhetorically where the Russian pontoons were "disappearing" in the Kursk region, as Ukrainian forces continued their efforts to destroy them.
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