Ukraine Breaks Silence About Its Shock Incursion

The first foreign force on Russian territory since the 1940s is posting real gains.

Ukraine is claiming significant territorial gains in its incursion into Russia. On August 12, Ukraine's military made its first public comments since the operation started a week ago: Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's top military commander, said Ukraine now controlled 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory. The Institute for the Study of War put the number slightly lower: as of August 12, it said Ukraine had advanced about 800 square kilometers. It added that it likely did not control all of this territory. The think-tank noted that throughout all of 2024, Russia had gained an additional 1,175 square kilometers of territory. 

In other words, in the past week, Ukraine has advanced through nearly as much territory as Russia has gained in all of 2024. While Russians took heavy casualties in gaining territory, Ukraine has moved in without many losses.