'It was all a blur' Troops tell story of audacious attack
The Guardian Weekly|September 06, 2024
While the situation in the country's east looks increasingly bleak, the surprise incursion into Russian territory has boosted morale in Kyiv
Shaun Walker
'It was all a blur' Troops tell story of audacious attack

On a recent morning deep in Ukrainian-occupied Russia, three soldiers from a Ukrainian special operations team jumped into their car, the back windscreen missing after being smashed out the previous day by explosives dropped from a Russian drone, and sped away in the direction of Ukraine.

Six hours later, they would be in Kyiv, together with a precious cargo of documents stashed in boxes piled on the back seat, the fruits of a four-day mission into enemy territory for the trio. The documents included Russian interior ministry papers and military orders, seized from official buildings in Sudzha, the town at the heart of Ukraine's surprise Kursk operation, and from abandoned Russian trenches nearby.

"At the time it was all a blur, it's only later when you come out that you realise where you've just been and what you've been doing," said Artem Kariakin, one of the three, talking just hours after leaving Russian territory.

Ukraine's incursion into Russia, now in its fourth week, was shocking in its audacity, and has laid down an unexpected challenge to the Kremlin. Suddenly, it is Russian flags that are being pulled down from administrative buildings, Russian civilians who are taking shelter as soldiers of a foreign army patrols their streets, and Russia which is scrambling to prove it has control of its own long-established borders.

Even as Ukrainian troops come under sustained pressure on other parts of the frontline, the dash into Russia has provided a much-needed morale boost inside Ukraine, after months of relentlessly bleak news.

"They're in a desperate David versus Goliath battle and this appeals to their rebellious spirit," said one western diplomat in Kyiv, adding that the Kursk operation had boosted the mood among the political elite immeasurably in recent weeks.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 06, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 06, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYAlle anzeigen
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Guardian Weekly

If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?

The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
'It's not drought - it's looting'
The Guardian Weekly

'It's not drought - it's looting'

Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Life in the grey Zone
The Guardian Weekly

Life in the grey Zone

Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
The Guardian Weekly

Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40

Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
The Guardian Weekly

Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail

Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
The Guardian Weekly

Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet

Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
The Guardian Weekly

Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning

When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
The Guardian Weekly

Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back

In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
The Guardian Weekly

Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?

In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
The Guardian Weekly

Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp

A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 29, 2024