What did 9 August 2024 reveal about the Kursk incursion?
A look back at a day when Ukrainian forces advanced in Russia's Kursk Oblast while a Russian missile struck a supermarket in Kostiantynivka.
What did the fourth day of Ukraine's cross-border operation look like on the ground? On 9 August 2024, the answer came in several parts: a captured gas facility, a drone strike on an air base, a destroyed convoy, and, far from that front, a deadly missile strike on a Ukrainian town.
Sudzha and the gas facility
The previous day, 8 August 2024, Ukrainian troops and tanks had entered the town of Sudzha, and local residents were forced to flee. By 9 August, Ukrainian troops had captured the Gazprom gas facility there. A video showed Ukrainian soldiers inside the facility, and much of the town was reportedly under Ukrainian control.
The account of how Russian units responded was contested. Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces, said Ukrainian troops had simply passed by his unit's positions without engaging them, and that Akhmat troops chose to retreat until more Russian reinforcements could arrive. Other reports indicated that Akhmat troops had fled from Ukrainian forces.
Strikes beyond the front
On the same day, Ukraine reportedly launched a massive drone attack on Lipetsk Oblast. The Lipetsk air base was reportedly on fire, several villages were evacuated, and six people were reportedly injured.
A Russian military convoy was also destroyed on the E38 highway in Oktyabrsky District. A day earlier, large explosions had been reported near Rylsk in Kursk Oblast, with videos on social media appearing to show a destroyed column of military vehicles.
Declared intent
The operation had been acknowledged only a day before. On 8 August 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to confirm that he had ordered a major cross-border operation, saying that Russia had brought war to Ukraine's land and should feel what it had done. That day, acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov and the Russian Ministry of Defence both said Ukraine had launched twelve rockets and 14 drones into Russia.
The cost elsewhere
The day's gains in Russia were set against continuing Russian attacks inside Ukraine. On 9 August 2024, a Russian missile struck a supermarket in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. As reported at the time, 14 people were killed and 43 others injured; a later account put the number of injured at 44. Damage extended beyond the supermarket to ten private houses, nine stores, a post office, retail pavilions, a gas pipeline, a car wash and 12 vehicles. Rescuers later dismantled 76 tons of building debris at the site.
Support from Washington
Also on 9 August 2024, the United States announced a $125 million military aid package for Ukraine. It included FIM-92 Stinger missiles, artillery ammunition and anti-armour systems.
Taken together, the day showed an offensive moving quickly into Russian territory while the war in the east went on causing civilian deaths in Ukrainian towns.
