INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
forces have reportedly captured a key transit point for the only active gas pipeline between Russia and Europe via Ukraine, causing European
gas prices to spike; attacked a military airfield in the Lipetsk region; struck a Russian military convoy; and forced thousands of civilians
to evacuate.The attack was so shocking that it forced Putin to publicly address an issue that could damage his personal ratings, a rare move
for the president who typically prefers to remain in the shadows, with his aides stepping into the firing line to comment.On Wednesday,
discussed the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region.While Putin acknowledged the problem, he refrained from calling the incident a
Russian news websites, YouTube channels and even pro-war Telegram channels circulated reports and videos making it clear the Russian army
that local and regional authorities, with the Kursk region headed by a Putin-appointed newcomer up for re-election in September, were unable
to organize civilian evacutaion from the captured settlements
Many had to evacuate on their own or hide in residential areas under attack by Ukrainian artillery, with some taking refuge in an Orthodox
We have lost our land, we have lost our homes, we fled under shelling, many without documents
in the face for the president
We have been unable to push the enemy back for [three days]
European gas has gone up in price
Conscripts have been captured
incursion], even Putin himself
so long that there is no need for either side to station its most powerful units there, Sharp said, meaning each side can launch a surprise
Taking this territory under long-term control when there are plenty of challenges on other parts of the front is not practical for the
