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In what could be an effort to legitimize its ongoing occupation of southern Russian territory, the Ukrainian government has issued formal invitations for the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to come to the Kursk region and verify the situation on the ground.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed the request on Monday, saying it has been issued for the international organizations to “prove [Ukraine’s] adherence to international humanitarian law”.

The Kremlin has accused the invading Ukraine forces, which have held territory since Aug.6th, of committing atrocities and abuses against civilians.

The Zelensky government still says its forces control some 100 settlements on the Russian side near the border, but days ago also acknowledged there is a large Russian counteroffensive underway.

Sybiha has claimed Ukraine forces are overseeing “humanitarian assistance” and “safe passage” to Russian civilians still in the Kursk region.

The UN and Red Cross have yet to issue formal response to Ukraine’s request for them to send teams to assess the situation; however, Moscow has slammed it as a provocation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blasted the invitations as a “pure provocation” but also said he expects “a sober assessment” from the international bodies.

Already, Russia has issued legal cases against Western journalists who have crossed into Kursk while embedded with the Ukrainian army. This includes a CNN team and some European correspondents.

Russia sees any and all international presence on its territory as a violation of Russian law and as part of an ‘illegal’ occupation.

Yesterday, while on a visit to our warriors in the Sumy region, I instructed @MFA_Ukraine to officially invite the UN and ICRC to join humanitarian efforts in the Kursk region. Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law.

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 16, 2024

From Ukraine’s perspective the Kursk operation is a legitimate tit-for-tat invasion, however risky and sure to fail it remains. Kiev’s hope is that Russia is forced to divert manpower from Ukraine’s east, where the front lines of fighting are, to Kursk.

But that doesn’t appear to have happened yet on any kind of large scale. Instead, President Putin appears to be patiently waiting while Ukraine’s own manpower and resources continue to be depleted both in Donetzk and Kursk.