The Russian army is advancing in Donbas, and the Ukrainians in Kursk Oblast. In the last dozen or so hours, they managed to blow up key bridges over the Sejm River and occupy other towns. Ukraine wants to draw some Russian troops away from Donbas in this way, but according to experts, this may not work, because Putin – as they point out – is able to sacrifice Kursk Oblast in order not to recall units.
Kornevo, a small town in Kursk Oblast, was almost completely surrounded and partially occupied by Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainians recorded the escape of an entire Russian battalion that was supposed to defend the place, and its commander was detained.
Of the three larger bridges on the Sejm River, two have already been destroyed, and the last one, near the town of Karyzh, is under Ukrainian fire control. Koreniewo is one of the last larger towns on the way to occupying the Głuszków region, west of the current Ukrainian positions on Russian territory. “Our commanders thought it through well. The enemy was very confident, they thought they could attack us on any section of the front,” says Mayak, a Ukrainian military instructor.
Thus, Ukrainian commanders suggest that if necessary, they are able to quickly increase the forces of their operation in the territory of the aggressor. – Of course, it is better to fight on their territory. It would be best if the Russians were not here at all, that is what I would call our victory – adds Victor, a Ukrainian soldier.
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However, experts point out that Russian propaganda has changed its tone in recent days, after the initial chaos and panic. “People have already become somewhat accustomed to this situation. If necessary, there are missile alerts,” says Igor Korpunkov, mayor of Kurchatov.
This may indicate the failure of Kiev’s quiet hopes of relieving its troops on the front in Ukraine. – The Kremlin seems ready to sacrifice – at least temporarily – the Kursk region and the people living there, just so as not to recall its divisions, well-equipped and trained, from Donbas – believes Wacław Radziwinowicz, a long-time correspondent from Russia, a journalist for “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
Ukraine destroyed the bridge near Kursk in RussiaFacebook – Mykola Oleshchuk
Allied Help in Question
Russia is making great progress on the front near the strategically important Pokrovsk and Toretsk. If the Russians manage to break through the front there, the Ukrainian forces in Donbas will find themselves in a very difficult situation. “It is crucial that certain restrictions from our partners do not thwart our efforts to weaken the Russian forces. The ability to attack with long-range missiles is the answer to the most important strategic challenges of this war,” says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
There are still conflicting signals regarding the help of allies. On the one hand – unofficially – President Joe Biden is supposed to be considering giving Ukraine long-range JASSM missiles, but on the other – there is still no agreement for it to use missiles provided by Great Britain and France on Russian territory.
According to media reports, due to budget constraints, Germany is supposed to suspend military aid for Ukraine, although the Ukrainian side assures that this is not true. – There is no possibility that Ukraine will receive weapons for the next ten, fifteen years in the amount it has received for the last two and a half years – assesses Dr. Aleksander Olech from the portal defence24.pl.
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At the same time, experts point out that Putin himself does not have the capacity to carry on an attack on a neighboring country for so long. He counted on the support of the Belarusian dictator, but for now it comes down to intimidation. – There are 120,000 soldiers on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. They see this aggressive policy, we have deployed our soldiers there in case of war – says Alexander Lukashenko.
Lukashenko’s troops are in a difficult situation themselves. Recently, Putin requested urgent support in the form of military equipment, and since the warehouses are already empty, the Belarusian dictator has handed over tanks and other vehicles directly from combat units.
photo-source">Source of the main photo: PAP/EPA/NIKOLETTA STOYANOVA
