Russia fears that F-16s might be involved in operation near Kursk

Despite Russia's claims of control over the situation in the Kursk region, Moscow fears that F-16 fighter jets might be used there, The Telegraph informs.

According to the news agency, the events in the Kursk region were unexpected for the Russian command. In particular, this incursion turned out to be one of the largest land attacks on mainland Russia since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

This operation was likely prepared in advance. Ukraine had moved air defense systems to the border to protect its forces.

There is also concern among the Russian forces that recently acquired F-16 fighter jets might be involved in the fighting.

Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov as the overseer of the defense of the Kursk region. Additionally, Russian military officials reacted angrily to the Ministry of Defense's failure to secure Kursk.

On August 6, several media outlets began reporting that Ukrainian forces had allegedly breached the border and taken control of several settlements in the Kursk region.

As of the August 7, information about the fighting for the city of Sudzha, located nine kilometers from the border, began to spread in the media.

Russia has accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the border into its Kursk region, which, if confirmed, marks the first incursion of its kind from Ukraine and puts pressure on Moscow in an area largely unaffected by the two-year war.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Investigative Committee and the Russian Ombudsman for Children all said Ukrainian forces had launched a “massive attack”, attempting to break through the Russian defenses on the borders of the Kursk region, which sits just north of Ukraine’s Sumy region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the alleged incursion a “large-scale provocation,” saying Kyiv conducted “indiscriminate shooting from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings, and ambulances.” The extent of the attack, including whether Ukrainian troops took over any settlements or caused damage to any strategic targets, remains unclear. It is also not clear whether any Ukrainian soldiers remained on Russian territory.