White House Seeks Clarity on Ukraine’s Objectives Amid Major Incursion into Russia

The White House contacted Ukraine to understand the “objectives” of a significant incursion into Russia, as stated by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday. Washington supported Ukraine’s “common sense” actions to prevent attacks by Russian forces, Jean-Pierre added. “We’re reaching out to the Ukrainian military to learn more about their objectives.”

Vladimir Putin described the event as a “large-scale provocation” while Ukrainian officials remained silent about the operation’s scope. Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesperson, dismissed Moscow’s condemnations, saying, “It is somewhat hypocritical for Russia to call it a provocation given they violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defense and security editor, reported that the operation seemed to be conducted by Ukraine’s military rather than Ukrainian-based Russian opposition groups known for past raids.

Russia’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported that up to 1,000 combatants from Ukraine were involved. Some Russian military bloggers claimed that Ukrainian troops had reached the town of Sudzha, which houses the Sudzha metering station, the last major transit point for Russian pipeline gas to Europe via Ukraine. Evacuations of civilians were underway in both Kursk and Sumy oblasts on the Ukrainian side of the border.

Russian propagandist Yevgeny Poddubny survived a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday and was in intensive care, according to the state-owned Rossiya-24 news channel. Countries including the UK and Australia have sanctioned Poddubny since 2022.

Boeing announced it is ramping up production of PAC-3 seekers used in the Patriot missile defense system, aiming to break its annual seeker production record by over 20% by year-end. More seekers are needed as the US plans to increase Patriot production with the help of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.

Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina pleaded guilty to a treason charge in a Russian court, as reported by state news agency RIA. Karelina was charged over a 2022 donation to a charity supporting Ukraine. RIA stated that prosecution and defense would summarize their arguments on Thursday, with the verdict expected the same day.

French authorities allowed the Russian sailing frigate Shtandart to dock in La Rochelle for food and fuel despite sanctions over Moscow’s war against Ukraine, according to a port source. The 34-meter (112 feet) three-masted ship, built in 1999 as an exact replica of a frigate belonging to Tsar Peter the Great, was barred from entering Brest and participating in its maritime festival in July. The boat was once a favorite at European maritime festivals and extensively used for cruises and training.