The Russian air defense system destroyed 117 drones and four tactical missiles launched during the night by Ukraine, targeting several regions, including Kursk, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today.

The ministry reported that the missiles and 37 drones were destroyed over the Kursk region, while another 37 drones were taken down over the Voronezh region, among others. However, the Russian ministry did not disclose the total number of drones and missiles launched by Ukraine.

The governor of the Voronezh region, Aleksandr Gusev, stated that Ukraine launched more than 35 drones against his region during the night. Voronezh is located several hundred kilometers south of Moscow. “There were no casualties,” Gusev said on Telegram.

Belgorod region in a state of emergency

The governor of Belgorod, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, announced today that he is declaring a state of emergency, citing the “extremely difficult” situation due to ongoing Ukrainian shelling.

“The situation in our region, Belgorod, remains extremely difficult and tense due to the bombardments by the Ukrainian armed forces. Homes have been destroyed, and civilians have been killed and injured,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated on Telegram.

“To ensure better protection for the population and to provide further assistance to the victims, a state of emergency will be declared at the regional level from today,” he added, urging Moscow to declare a state of emergency “at the federal level” as well.

He mentioned attacks by Ukrainian drones on two villages in the region—Shebekino and Ustinovka. Authorities in the Kursk, Voronezh, and Bryansk regions also reported Ukrainian drone raids, assuring that they were shot down by Russian air defense during the night.

On August 6, the Ukrainian armed forces began a large-scale operation in the Kursk region, which borders Voronezh, claiming to have captured over 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.

Russian authorities acknowledge the loss of 28 communities and state that Ukrainian territorial gains extend over a zone 40 kilometers wide and 12 kilometers deep.

According to estimates by Agence France-Presse, based on data from Russian sources collected by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian troops have advanced 800 kilometers in the Kursk region.

For comparison, Russia has advanced 1,360 kilometers into Ukrainian territory since January 1, according to Agence France-Presse’s analysis.

According to an American official who spoke to Reuters, the purpose of the Ukrainian operation seems to be to force Russia to withdraw troops from other areas of Ukraine to defend its territory.

U.S. President Joe Biden stated that the situation “creates a real dilemma for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

In his first comments on the Ukrainian military operation, the U.S. president told reporters that Washington is in constant contact with Kyiv, despite his administration previously assuring that it has no involvement in the planning, preparation, or execution of the operation.

From Russian President Putin’s perspective, the Ukrainian operation aims to improve Kyiv’s negotiating position when talks begin, as well as to slow the slow but steady advance of Russian forces on the eastern front in recent months.

According to a Russian blogger who monitors developments in the war and uses the pseudonym Rybar, Ukrainian forces continue to attack in multiple directions, while Russian troops aim to pin them down and especially to destroy their armored vehicles, as they await further reinforcements.