Ukraine's alleged border breakthrough in Russia's Kursk, night attack on Kyiv suburbs. Serhiy Zgurets' column

About the border breakthrough in Russia's Kursk region

Regarding the Kursk region, I'll start with information coming from Russian sources. On August 6, Russia reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to breach the border in the Kursk region. Pro-Kremlin channels claimed that around 100 armed men with armored vehicles crossed the border at about 09:00 a.m. Later, the FSB stated that border guards and the Russian military had taken measures to repel the attack.

Meanwhile, Russian public channels reported ongoing fighting in the Kursk region, with Ukrainian Armed Forces units allegedly breaking through with several armored vehicles. The Russians mentioned two settlements where Ukrainian forces were supposedly entrenched—Darino and Goncharovka in the Kursk region. They also noted that the Ukrainian army continues to concentrate troops in the Sumy direction, with equipment in the surrounding forests.

Aside from this hysteria on public channels, what have we actually seen? Videos showing HMMWVs with new triangle tactical markings. We saw a video of Stryker armored personnel carriers moving near the border with the Kursk region. However, these videos were shot in the Sumy region, and there are no videos of battles near the border. There's an epic video with the driver's emotional comments as the Russians use the Su-25 on their own territory in the Kursk region. But this isn't the first time the Russians have bombed their own territory with guided aerial bombs.

Remember in March, the Russian Volunteer Corps and other Russian volunteer groups, made up of Russian citizens, raided the Belgorod and Kursk regions. What’s happening now? Is it something similar or different? We can't say for sure at the moment because there are no official comments from the Ukrainian side yet. Hopefully, we’ll get some soon.

Russia has been systematically shelling the Ukrainian border and Sumy for years. Yesterday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia shelled the Sumy region 35 times, resulting in one death. Ukrainian forces might be trying to neutralize the threat to the Sumy region near the border, where Russian troops are constantly stationed, engaging in shelling and sabotage. These could be countermeasures, but that’s just a guess. Hopefully, more details will emerge later, and Ukraine's General Staff or Border Guard will comment on the situation at the state border.

About the Russian missile attack at night

Russia carried out a terrorist missile attack on Ukraine. Ukraine's Air Force reported destroying two Kh-59 missiles and 15 Shahed drones. However, the focus should be on Russia's ballistic missiles. Reports indicated that Russia launched four missiles from the Voronezh region, two of which were shot down. The Air Force mentioned they could be either Iskanders or North Korean KN-23s.

After speaking with specialists who analyzed the debris from one of the missiles that exploded near Brovary, it is confirmed that these are indeed remains of the KN-23. The explosion near Brovary, captured on video available online, shows the missile falling next to the track. This location is about 20 kilometers from Kyiv. This situation is similar to the KN-23 explosion near Bila Tserkva on July 31.

Since January or February this year, there was a pause in Russia's use of these North Korean missiles. But for two consecutive days, Russia has been using these missiles, which have significant power but low accuracy. Even an explosion in the air causes destruction and tragic consequences. The risks of using North Korean missiles remain evident.

About the tasks of the F-16 in the defense of Ukraine

Let's talk about how Ukraine's Air Force will boost its potential with F-16 fighters. This topic remains highly relevant. Everyone is discussing political and military-technical aspects. We'll get a chance to talk about the F-16 with the author of the book War falcon. History of the F-16. The author is military historian Andrii Kharuk, a doctor of historical sciences and professor at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy. He's written several good books about Ukrainian military aviation. Now he has a new one about F-16 fighters.

Andrii Kharuk believes that even a small number of F-16 aircraft, already transferred to Ukraine, can significantly impact the combat situation if used rationally. The F-16 has potential capabilities that give a new quality to Ukraine's aviation. Visually, these fighters come with a modern electronic warfare (EW) complex. An often overlooked detail is the MiG-29's short range, while the F-16 is a long-range aircraft for its size. Additionally, the F-16's radar can reliably detect air targets against the ground and has various modes of operation. In short, the F-16 is a truly multifunctional fighter.

Kharuk noted that besides the F-16, Ukraine should get the Swedish Gripen aircraft, which integrates Meteor missiles with a range of over 200 km. These missiles aren't integrated with the F-16. Therefore, a self-defense complex capable of protecting against enemy missiles is crucial. He thinks the F-16 can counter Russian Su-30 and Su-35 fighters due to its more advanced defense system, allowing it to get within missile launch range. However, he believes air combat won't be the primary task for Ukrainian F-16s; they'll likely perform different roles.

The professor said the first task of the F-16 will be to close gaps in air defense not covered by current systems. The second task is to use high-precision air-to-surface weapons like HARM missiles, JDAM, GLSDB, and French Hammer missiles, which seem to be integrated already. This means targeting ground assets in the tactical depth of defense, as there are no long-range weapons for the F-16 yet. Storm Shadow and SCALP are not integrated with the F-16, and American JASSM missiles weren't even theoretically considered, although they're much needed. Just having a few F-16s has already led to reports of reduced Russian use of KAB carriers.

Kharuk noted that transferring Saab 340 "flying radars" to Ukraine is as crucial as transferring the F-16s. This will create an information field, enhancing F-16 pilots' awareness, simplifying their tasks, and improving mission performance.

In summary, I want to highlight his recent book, War falcon. History of the F-16, which focuses on these aircraft. These F-16s are now in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and will bring significant changes in airspace, hopefully in the near future.