Russia Declares Border Area Emergency as Ukraine Troops Strike
- Military ignored warning signs of attack, person familiar said
- Ukrainian incursion into Kursk region extends into third day
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Russian army chief Valery Gerasimov faces growing criticism after Ukrainian troops mounted their biggest incursion into Russian territory since the Kremlin started its war more than two years ago.
Gerasimov and top officials seemingly dismissed intelligence warnings that Ukrainian soldiers were gathering near the border with Russia’s western Kursk region as much as two weeks before they began the assault, and nobody briefed President Vladimir Putin, according to a person close to the Kremlin. Defensive forces inside Russia were caught off guard and offered little initial resistance to the Ukrainian advance.