On the morning of Aug. 6, the first groups of Ukrainian soldiers armed with heavy equipment crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border and entered Kursk Oblast, marking the largest attack on Russian territory since World War II.
This unprecedented operation took the world by surprise as Kyiv's troops cut through the border and allegedly seized over 1,000 square kilometers and dozens of settlements. Though the strategic calculus remains a matter of debate, namely due to Russia's ongoing push in Ukraine's east, the tactical success is undeniable.
As the incursion hit its 10-day mark on Aug. 15, we bring you a summary of what is known about the operation, from the moment the first Ukrainian troops crossed the border to Kyiv declaring a full capture of the town of Sudzha and creation of a military administration in Russia.
Day 1 - Ukrainian troops enter Russia
Russian pro-war Telegram channels are the first to report on Ukrainian "sabotage and reconnaissance groups" crossing the border around 8 a.m. on Aug. 6.
The information is later confirmed by Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, who said Kyiv attempted a breakthrough in two border districts, Sudzha and Korenevo.
The Russian Defense Ministry says that up to 300 soldiers from Ukraine’s 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, as well as 11 tanks and 20 armored vehicles, were attacking near Nikolaevo-Darino and Oleshnya, two villages right at the border with Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast and some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Kursk.
In a statement issued at 6:20 p.m., the ministry initially claims the incursion has been repelled with heavy losses for Ukraine, but later corrects the statement to indicate the fighting is ongoing.
Kyiv remains tight-lipped about the reports, but it is becoming increasingly clear something is afoot. Russian strikes against Sumy Oblast, which Ukrainian troops use as a launching pad for their incursion, spike considerably over the day.
Day 2 - Russia raises alarm as advance picks up pace
While still shrouded in the fog of war, the Ukrainian advance is picking up pace on Aug. 7. The Russian pro-war channel Two Majors claimed that Kyiv’s forces have penetrated as far as 15 kilometers (9 miles) and established a presence in 11 settlements.
Russian pro-war military bloggers now allege that fighting is ongoing at the outskirts of Sudzha and Korenevo, two district centers located 10 and 20 kilometers (6 and 12 miles) from Ukraine’s border, respectively.
Sudzha’s Mayor Vitaliy Slashchov admits "tense" situation in the town, while Ukrainian troops reportedly reach the gas metering station that transits Russian gas to Europe. The Kursk Oblast governor declares a state of emergency in the region.
The situation forces the Kremlin to react. Russian President Vladimir Putin calls a high-level meeting with Russian Army Chief Valery Gerasimov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, and other top officials, during which he brushes off the incursion as a "large-scale provocation."
Kyiv remains evasive, though the state-run project "Khochu nayti" ("I want to find") says Ukraine captured at least 40 Russian soldiers – including conscripts – in Kursk Oblast.
EU and U.S. officials comment on the incursion for the first time, affirming Kyiv’s right to fight back against Russia.
Day 3 - Combat zone in Kursk Oblast grows
As Russia says that at least 1,000 Ukrainian troops are operating in Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 8, the combat zone only grows.
The independent Russian outlet Agentstvo now estimates that the hostilities are covering an area of 430 square kilometers. Russian pro-war channels claim that Sudzha is almost completely in Ukrainian hands and "basically lost," though skirmishes continue. They also claim that Ukraine is pushing towards Lgov, a town roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the border.
Signs of poor preparation on Russia's side mount. Apart from fresh conscripts, the border was also protected by Chechen fighters of the Akhmat unit, who did not put up much of a fight against experienced Ukrainian troops.
Their commander, Apti Alaudinov, claims that Kyiv’s forces simply bypassed their defenses, while Russian pro-war military bloggers accuse the Chechens of breaking ranks and fleeing. Alaudinov is also the first Russian officer to admit Russian losses and Ukraine’s advance.
In another cryptic statement, President Volodymyr Zelensky says that "Russia brought war to our land, and it should feel what it has done," without directly mentioning Kursk.
Day 4 - Federal emergency declared
Russia finally admits Ukraine had reached the "outskirts" of Sudzha and declares a federal emergency in the region on Aug. 9. The same day, soldiers of Ukraine’s 61st Mechanized Brigade publish a video in a location presented as Sudzha, although the unit’s commanders do not officially comment at the time.
As various estimates put Ukraine's growing incursion force to several thousand, Russia starts pulling in reinforcements to push Ukrainian troops back. The moving columns are widely recorded and published on television and social media, allowing at least some of them to be identified as experienced units previously deployed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast.
One such video also leads to the destruction of a Russian column in the village of Oktyabrskoe on a highway between the towns of Rylsk and Lgov. Russian Telegram channels allege that Ukraine used a HIMARS missile in the attack, but the claim cannot be verified.
Andreas Umland
Day 5 - Incursion spills over to more Russian regions
A unit of the Ukrainian 252nd Battalion appears to have entered the village of Poroz in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast as of Aug. 10, signaling the incursion's spillover into other Russian border regions.
The same day, Russia declares a "counter-terrorism operation" in Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk oblasts, introducing restrictions on the movement and communication of civilians.
Some 76,000 Russian citizens are said to have been evacuated from Kursk Oblast as the zone of hostilities reportedly grows to 650 square kilometers.
At the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, in the city of Kurchatov some 75 kilometers from the border, entrances are closed and construction workers are evacuated.
Zelensky makes his most direct public statement on the incursion to date, saying that Ukrainian forces have begun "to push the war out into the aggressor's territory" in an evening address. Again, he makes no direct mention of Kursk Oblast.
In a likely attempt to divert the narrative of Russian setbacks, the Russian Defense Ministry recycles old videos of strikes on Ukrainian positions and claims that they are from Kursk Oblast, The Insider reports.
Day 6 - Nuclear power plant fears
According to some claims, Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups enter the Belovsky district of Kursk Oblast overnight on Aug. 11. The Belovsky district is located some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Sudzha and less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
The BBC reports that Russian forces began constructing defensive lines by the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi calls on both Russia and Ukraine to "exercise maximum restraint" to prevent a nuclear accident.
Kyiv continues its tight-lipped posture around the incursion, but Russia’s Defense Ministry concedes that Ukrainian forces reach the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, located around 25 and 30 kilometers (15 miles and 18 miles) from the border, respectively.
Zelensky again makes vague, couched references to the situation in Kursk Oblast, saying that missile strikes against Ukraine launched from Russian border regions necessitate a reaction.
"We are recording all the places from which the Russian army strikes, including Belgorod Oblast, Kursk Oblast, and other areas. We record every missile strike. And each of these strikes deserves a fair response."
Day 7 - Ukraine finally acknowledges incursion
Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov says on Aug. 12 there is Ukrainian military activity by the Krasnoyaruzhsky border district and announces the evacuation of the area.
One week into the incursion, acting governor Smirnov says Ukraine is in control of 28 settlements in Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine's 225th Separate Assault Battalion publishes a video of a Russian flag being removed from a building in the village of Darino, located some 4 kilometers (2 miles) from the border. The location cannot be independently verified.
After seven days of coded messages and effective radio silence, Ukraine’s leadership finally acknowledges the presence of its troops on Russian territory. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi briefs Zelensky on the situation in Kursk Oblast, claiming that Ukrainian forces control about 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) in the area.
Putin promises that the "enemy will receive a worthy riposte" as Russia reportedly begins redeploying some of its troops from southern Ukraine to Kursk Oblast.
Later in the day, Zelensky says that "our operations are solely a security issue for Ukraine: liberating the border from the Russian military" and calls the incursion another "catastrophe" for Putin.
After clearly being taken by surprise, some of Ukraine’s international allies begin praising the operation.
Day 8 - Hundreds of Russian POWs
Zelensky says on Aug. 13 that Ukraine currently controls 74 settlements in Kursk Oblast and that "hundreds" of Russian soldiers have surrendered since the operation began.
Ukrainian officials begin clarifying the intent of the incursion, saying the aim is not to seize Russian territory but to "protect the lives of our people" by preventing cross-border strikes and diverting Russian reinforcements from Ukraine.
Evacuations in both Kursk and Belgorod oblasts continue. Belgorod Oblast Governor Gladkov says that some 11,000 residents of the Krasnoyaruzhsky district near the Ukrainian border have been evacuated.
Smirnov claims that some refugees will be resettled in Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Evacuations are also underway on the Ukrainian side of the border, with some 20,000 civilians reportedly under evacuation orders in Sumy Oblast. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces announces restrictions on civilian movement in the region within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the border with Kursk Oblast.
Despite the incursion's tactical success, its strategic impacts have yet to materialize, as soldiers in the Toretsk sector say the operation does not yet influence the fighting there.
Yet, there are increasing signs that the fighting is beginning to have larger implications.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has long refrained from directly becoming involved in Russia’s full-scale war, orders the transfer of some of Minsk’s military equipment to Russia to help shore up what appear to be heavy losses in Kursk Oblast.
Chris York
Day 9 - Belgorod declares emergency
Ukrainian TV reports from Sudzha for the first time on Aug. 14 and shows the Russian flag being removed from an administrative building. The news appears to contradict Russian forces' claims that the town is still not under total Ukrainian control.
Evacuations in Russia widen. Belgorod Oblast Governor Gladkov declares a state of emergency in the area, citing an "extremely difficult" and tense situation due to ongoing attacks from Ukrainian forces.
In his first public comments since the beginning of the operation, U.S. President Joe Biden says the situation in Kursk Oblast creates "a real dilemma" for Putin.
Syrskyi says that over 100 Russian POWs have been taken in less than 24 hours.
Meanwhile, there are growing discussions about how Ukraine will manage the territory it now controls, as well as how to deal with the humanitarian impact facing Russian citizens. Zelensky says that the prospect of creating civil administration bodies in Kursk Oblast, including military command posts, should not be ruled out.
Day 10 - Sudzha captured
Zelensky confirms on Aug. 15 Ukraine has fully captured Sudzha, arguably the most significant milestone of the incursion to date. To better manage the held territory, Kyiv announces a plan to set up a military administration in Kursk Oblast led by Major General Eduard Moskailov.
Ukraine's advance appears to have slowed down but not stopped. Syrskyi claims that as of Aug. 15, Ukrainian forces control 1,150 square kilometers (444 square miles) and 82 settlements.
Over the past day, Ukraine's troops advanced between 500 meters and 1.5 kilometers in the Russian region, the commander-in-chief reported.
A federal emergency is declared also in Belgorod Oblast.
