“They have a long battle ahead of them.” Ukraine is moving to surround Russian forces in Kursk

A newspaper said,Wall Street JournalThe Ukrainian army is currently ordering its forces around 3,000 Russian soldiers trapped near a river in Russia’s Kursk region, in an attempt to deal a new blow to Moscow in the third week of the sudden attack.

The newspaper said that Kiev forces used American “Himars” missile systems and drones to overcome floating channels and bridge equipment, while Russia is trying to block its forces between the Sim River and the border of Ukraine.

This Ukrainian offensive, which began on August 6, embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Ukrainian forces captured dozens of towns and cities in an area equal to what Russia captured there the total year of attacks in Ukraine, according to the newspaper report.

The Ukrainian army is now expanding its control of the border and striking Russian supply lines, while Moscow is increasingly fighting back attacks using bombs and captured forces in from displaced areas of Ukraine and other parts of Russia.

This attack has not yet changed the dynamics of the main battlegrounds in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is advancing towards Pokrovsk, a key supply hub for Ukraine, and Turistich , a strategically important city.

Meanwhile, Ukraine used drones to attack an airbase in Russia’s Volgograd region as part of its campaign for long-range attacks.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it responded to drone attacks in five other regions overnight.

In Kursk, Ukraine is widening the scope of its attack rather than making deep breakthroughs that are easily breached, according to Mick Ryan, a military strategist and retired major general in the Australian army. in an interview with the American newspaper.

The Ukrainian army in Kursk aims to control the most defensible territory near Ukraine, making it easier to support.

“dilemma”

This approach puts Putin in front of a major dilemma, according to the newspaper, because trying to remove Ukrainian forces would require the withdrawal of large forces from Ukraine, which would weaken the continued attacks of the Russia against strategic targets in the east and that allows the Ukrainians to take advantage of the gaps. and get the land back.

So far, it appears that Russia is largely moving forces from reserves and regions in Ukraine where fighting is not intense, such as the south and northeast.

There are those who believe that it is prudent for Russia to monitor the situation and slow down the progress of the Ukrainians by sending just enough troops.

For Russia, regaining control of the entire Kursk region may be a secondary goal compared to the strategic goal of advancing into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. , which Putin has declared as part of Russia.

Moscow recruits about 25,000 men a month, but is suffering from a shortage of experienced soldiers needed to push the Ukrainians out.

So far, “Moscow is not very concerned about the situation in Kursk,” according to Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Center on Russia and Eurasia.

Stanovaya, who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, believes that Putin sees the Ukraine invasion as having a limited impact on his broader strategic calculus, which aims to control Donetsk and finally influencing the government of Ukraine to create conditions for negotiations that are in Russia. interest

She said that the Russian army does not want to be drawn into a costly attack in Kursk that may require the scorched earth strategy that has been applied in Ukrainian cities such as Avdiivka and Bakhmut to use.

“blow”

But the Ukraine operation dealt a blow to Putin’s promise that the war, which he calls a “special military operation,” would remain limited to Ukraine and not affect the lives of ordinary Russians.

Some Ukrainian military leaders have long argued that making Russians feel wary should be a key part of Kiev’s strategy, as it puts pressure on Putin to end the war

The commander of a Ukrainian drone battalion with the code name “Kold” told the newspaper in this regard: “We want to bring war to their territory​​​​”.

Cold drone units were among the first forces to enter Kursk, and are now stationed in the basements of houses north of Sudja, where they will use their reconnaissance and attack aircraft to target the forces of the to help Ukraine move forward.

Cold explained that Russia is fighting hard. Earlier this week, they sent a force of 80 soldiers to one of the Ukrainian towns involved, and before the attack, dropped 21 cluster bombs on the town in an hour, making it difficult for The Ukrainians repelled the attack.

He pointed out that the deployed Russian forces are well equipped and have extensive combat experience, as they successfully used electronic warfare systems to shoot down some of his unit’s planes .

He revealed that Russian troops, whose movements he is monitoring via drone screens, are currently digging trenches and installing defensive positions along the new front line, indicating they are expecting a long campaign.

The biggest attack

The increase in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian regions coincides with an increase in attacks on military airports to prevent Russia from using them to launch drones and fighters.

Last week, Ukraine launched what an official said was the largest drone attack on Russian military airfields since the start of the war, targeting airports in Voronezh, Kursk, Savaslykha and Borisoglebsk.

Drones, which are locally produced and are considered cheaper and more accessible than cruise missiles, have been able to circumvent political restrictions placed on the use of weapons provided by Western allies in attacks inside Russian territory.

In addition, Ukraine targeted Russian oil refineries using its drones.

In Sumy, a city located in the Ukrainian border region with Kursk, military roads are lined with vehicles used to transport supplies into Kursk, including food and fuel for the soldiers.

Electricity generators are also being brought in due to damage to infrastructure in the Kursk region, which caused a power outage there.

As the Russians assemble pontoon bridges to try to cross the Sim River, the Ukrainians continue to destroy them with artillery.

But Ukrainian troops believe that these moves will not succeed in cutting off the besieged Russian forces from their supply lines near the Sim River.

A Ukrainian commander, with the name Croat, told the newspaper: “Now that we have destroyed three of their bridges, it is only a matter of time before the fort closes in on them.”