The Ukrainian expedition into the Kursk border region is presented as a sovereign choice by Kyiv, with the United States saying it was not forewarned about the operation in advance. A spokesman for the United States Department of State, Matthew Miller, conveyed this stance, noting that Washington and Kyiv had been in touch about the Ukrainian military action but that Kyiv did not provide advance notice about the strike. Miller described the move as unexpected from the U.S. perspective.
Earlier, Russian officials released video footage showing an intercepted Ukrainian serviceman from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kursk region. The recording appears to document the objectives of certain sabotage and reconnaissance teams operating near Russia’s international border: to seize positions and capture material intended to be relayed to command centers.
On August 7, Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, cited remarks by President Vladimir Putin stating that Russian forces halted a deeper Ukrainian advance toward Russian territory in the Kursk corridor. Gerasimov reported battlefield losses for the Ukrainian side, including a casualty figure of around 315 soldiers, with at least 100 killed and 215 wounded. He also noted a sap of material losses, counting 54 armored vehicles, among them seven tanks.
Earlier the United States had indicated that Ukraine’s actions in the Kursk region were likely to provoke a strong reaction from Washington, or at least to unsettle U.S. policy toward the conflict.