Even before the offensive in the Kursk region, Russia has been bombing its own territory for many months. Although this has never been officially acknowledged.
In August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an offensive in the Kursk region. The Western press has labeled this as the first combat operations on Russian territory since World War II. To recall, in the second half of 1941, German troops launched an offensive into the territory of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, aiming to capture Moscow.
According to confirmed information, mostly disseminated by Russian Z-channels on Telegram, the Ukrainians managed to advance 30-40 km deep into the Kursk region, with the area of operations now exceeding 400 square kilometers. There is no exact information regarding the objectives or progress of the operation, as the Ukrainian side maintains silence.
From reports in the media, it is already clear that the Russian side was not prepared for such actions: the breakthrough happened instantly, with the Ukrainian Armed Forces advancing more than 10 km into Russia on the very first day. According to data published by Russian media, over 85,000 civilians had been evacuated by August 11, and this number continues to grow. Besides the Kursk region, evacuation has also begun from border villages in the Belgorod region.
As of the time this material was written, there is no information regarding successful efforts to halt the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory. Ukraine has already shot down at least two Russian helicopters, indicating poor coordination between different branches of the Russian military.
Bombing themselves
In reality, the Russian army brought war to Russia long before the events of August 2024. When launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin spoke of a three-day operation. The blitzkrieg failed before it even began, and eventually, the war came to Russia itself due to its own actions.
It is worth noting that Russian aviation has been actively bombing its own cities, although this is, of course, not officially reported.
In July 2024, The Washington Post published an internal Russian Federation document indicating that 38 glide bombs fell on the Belgorod region over the past year. The publication obtained this information from Ukrainian intelligence, which managed to intercept Russian data.
According to the article, most bombs did not detonate, but some did explode, damaging buildings and infrastructure. The Russian Ministry of Defense usually had no information about when or where the bombs fell; they could lie in a field or forest for days.
Moreover, four bombs fell directly on Belgorod, and another seven were found near the regional administrative center. Eleven more bombs were found by civilians in border areas.
However, according to the Russian publication Astra, these figures are underestimated. Their information indicates that 119 bombs fell in the Belgorod region in the spring and June of 2024 alone. These included various types of bombs, including the large FAB-3000. One such bomb was found in a field on June 29; it detonated, but fortunately, there were no casualties. Bombs often fall in residential areas, damaging homes due to explosions.
Russian aviation uses FAB bombs from Belgorod region territory against Kharkiv and other border cities in Ukraine and military positions. Due to unsuccessful launches, they end up bombing themselves.
Countermeasures
Ukraine has been asking the West for permission to use their long-range missiles against Russian territory for many months. The reason is precisely the aforementioned FAB and other guided aviation bombs. Ukraine's target is Russian military airfields located about a hundred kilometers from the border and within the range of ATACMS or Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles.
Destroying these airfields would reduce the intensity of bombings on Ukrainian cities, which primarily harm civilians and civil infrastructure.
Another target type is the S-300/S-400 systems, which Russia also uses to shell Kharkiv.
In addition, Ukraine is actively using its own drone systems to bomb military targets on Russian Federation territory. This disrupts the logistical connections of the Russian army and creates additional pressure on the rear.
Putin started the war
Asymmetric measures are one way for Ukraine to fight the enormous Russian military machine. And the initiator of these measures is not Ukraine, but Putin, who started the war against Ukraine in 2014. He has now brought war to his own territory.
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