New Delhi: President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy admitted for the first time Saturday that Ukraine had launched the unexpected incursion into Russian territory this week that led to Russia declaring an emergency in the region of Kursk, calling for evacuations and greater military deployment, and accusing Ukraine of a “large-scale provocation”.
“Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor,” Zelenskyy said in a video address.
The cross-border attack, more than two years since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, began Tuesday morning when approximately 1,000 Ukrainian troops, supported by 11 tanks and over 20 armored combat vehicles, crossed into Russia near the town of Sudzha in the Kursk Oblast, according to Russian officials.
In his daily televised address Wednesday evening, Zelenskyy had made no mention of the cross-border attack but emphasised the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia. He stated, “The more pressure put on Russia, the aggressor which brought war to Ukraine, the closer we come to peace. A just peace [achieved] through just strength.”
I am grateful to all our warriors, every combat unit, for their bravery and strength – to everyone who truly serves Ukraine. This includes the front lines in the Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Lyman directions, the Kharkiv region, and everywhere our defense against the occupier's… pic.twitter.com/Lsgu09IKiW
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 7, 2024
The Ukrainian force is believed to have rapidly advanced more than 10km inside Russia, in one of the deepest raids since the war began. Reports from Russian authorities said at least five civilians had been killed and 31 others wounded, including six children in the first two days of the incursion.
Moscow has also declared a counter-terrorism operation regime in the districts of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk — all on the border with Ukraine. The regime allows it to implement a number of measures, like restrictions on movement and phone-tapping, reports said, to repel the cross-border attack.
Fighting has also edged close to the Kursk nuclear power plant, with Russia deploying National Guard troops to protect the plant.
The plant, with its four reactor blocks and a total output of nearly two gigawatts, supplies electricity to Kursk and 19 other regions. Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has asked all sides “to avoid a nuclear accident with the potential for serious radiological consequences”.
At least 76,000 people have been evacuated from the western parts of the region so far, Deutsche Welle quoted Russian state-run media as saying.
Meanwhile fighting continued in Ukraine and The Guardian quoted local officials as saying at least three people had been killed in two Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, on the eastern frontline. On Friday, days after the Ukrainian incursion began, Russian strikes killed 14 and injured more than 30 people at a supermarket in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast.
Also read: Hamas leader Haniyeh was killed by bomb smuggled into Tehran guest house 2 months ago, reports NYT
Hamas names Yahya Sinwar new political chief
On Tuesday, Hamas named hardliner Yahya Sinwar, its leader in the Gaza Strip, as its new political chief, weeks after the assassination of his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, at a guesthouse in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Sinwar, known for his uncompromising approach, has been a central figure within Hamas for years and is widely understood to be the mastermind behind the 7 October, 2023 attacks against Israel, which led to the latter’s invasion of Gaza and the ongoing conflict. Israel has vowed to end Hamas and Sinwar.
His appointment, decided during Haniyeh’s memorial-turned-leadership-assembly in Doha, Qatar, comes at a time when tensions in West Asia are on the rise amid looming fears of a larger war.
Sinwar, who spent 23 years in Israeli prisons, was released in 2011 as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange deal for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Over the years, he has become one of the most wanted men on Israel’s list, particularly following the recent attacks. Sinwar was also designated a terrorist by the US Department of State in 2015 and has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom and France. He is currently in hiding.
“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the selection of commander Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement, succeeding the martyr, commander Ismail Haniyeh,” a Hamas statement said.
The selection of Sinwar is seen as a deliberate move to honour his role as the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks and to send a strong message of defiance and resilience to Israel.
Sinwar’s reputation as an uncompromising leader is well-established, and, experts believe, his rise to the top of Hamas signals a potential intensification of the group’s strategy against Israel. His leadership could serve as a unifying force within Hamas, potentially leading to further escalations in the conflict.
In response to his selection, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari stated on the Saudi network Al Arabiya: “There’s only one place we are designating for Yahya Sinwar, and that’s right next to Mohammed Deif and all the other terrorists who are responsible for October 7. It’s the only place we are preparing and designating for him.”
Somali police confiscate hundreds of veils
Somali officers in the southern port city of Kismayo have stopped hundreds of women and confiscated their niqabs this week in an intensified crackdown on the religious garment.
The operation began last Wednesday, Kismayo’s police chief Warsame Ahmed Gelle told state TV, according to a BBC report.
This crackdown is driven by fears that jihadists might use the Islamic face veil to disguise themselves and carry out attacks amid the persistent threat posed by al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked militant group that continues to exert influence across southern Somalia.
On Friday night in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, at least 32 people were killed and 63 others wounded in a brutal assault near a hotel on Lido Beach. The attack, which involved a suicide bombing and gunfire, was claimed by al-Shabab, NPR reported.
Several orders banning the niqab were issued across the country between 2007 and 2021, but they have seen limited enforcement. Women caught wearing the niqab, which covers the face except for the eyes, face penalties including fines or imprisonment.
Kismayo is one of the few areas in the state of Jubaland where the authorities have sufficient control to implement such measures, making it the focus of this renewed enforcement effort. The ban on niqabs remains a controversial issue in Somalia, a predominantly Muslim country.
Also read: Muslim-majority Tajikistan bans hijab as part of years-long campaign against public religiosity