Putin Aide Claims West Involved In Planning Kursk Offensive

Senior aide to President Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Patrushev, has claimed that the West and NATO were directly involved in the planning of Ukraine's ongoing offensive into the Kursk oblast of the Russian Federation. Speaking to theIzvestia newspaper, Patrushev claimed that, "The operation in the Kursk region was also planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services...Without their participation and direct support, Kyiv would not have ventured into Russian territory."

• Ukraine's Western allies have all denied any foreknowledge or involvement in planning the Kursk offensive, although it has become clear that Western military donations to Ukraine - including UK-made Challenger II tanks- have likely been deployed as part of the incursion.
• Patrushev is seen as one of the most hawkish ultranationalists within Putin's inner circle and has frequently made comments throughout the war since 2022 raising the prospect of escalation and direct Russia-NATO confrontation. On the Kursk offensive, he claimed that "Washington's efforts have created all the preconditions for Ukraine to lose its sovereignty and part of its territories, including those that some American allies have long had their eye on."
• Given Patrushev's frequent use of aggressive rhetoric, his comments today may not be taken as a sign of imminent escalation. Nevertheless, with the war now taking place directly on Russian soil the likelihood of a significant Russian response against Ukraine or enhanced hybrid attacks against the West is as high as they have been for some time.