The negative news for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is never-ending: Ukraine is continuing its counter-offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk – and is reporting progress. The attack on its own territory, which is embarrassing for the Kremlin, is continuing unabated – Ukraine recently reported the destruction of three important bridges in the region. Several hundred Russian soldiers are now trapped as a result, according to unconfirmed reports. The Russian army does not seem to have found an effective means of countering the Ukrainian advance.
On the contrary, the bad news for Putin’s army is increasing. Recently, videos have been circulating on social networks that are said to show an attack by the Russian air force on a military column. However, according to Ukrainian reports, these were not Ukrainian units.
Russia finds no answer: “Friendly fire” and destroyed bridges
The malice towards Putin’s troops is great: “Just one detail: It was their own convoy,” some people on the Internet laughed at the failure. It is not the only case of “friendly fire” that has been reported in recent days.
A satellite photo shows a destroyed bridge over the Seim River near the town of Glushkovo in the Russian Kursk region.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s western partners can no longer resist a certain smugness in the face of the offensive in Kursk. “The Ukrainians had to quickly change the dynamics of the war or face the consequences – and now they have stopped fighting with one hand tied behind their backs,” journalist Vladislav Davidzon quoted as saying. in the “Tablet” magazine most recently a high-ranking source within the British government.
“The spectacle of Russia bombing its own cities”
“So now we have the spectacle of the Russian air force bombing its own cities,” the source added, not without glee. London was satisfied with the operation – also because Kiev had moved away from the “more cautious American approach” and was now more likely to heed the British mantra “attack is the best defense.”
The comments from Washington are currently more reserved. There are signs that Moscow is moving a small number of units to Kursk, said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder. “In general, however, I would say that Russia is having a really hard time reacting.” Ukraine has “clearly put its opponent in a tight spot,” the spokesman stressed – according to US information, Kiev’s armed forces are continuing to advance.
Ukraine: 93 towns captured in Kursk offensive
The Ukrainian army recently announced that it now has control over 1263 square kilometers in Russia. 93 towns have been captured since the offensive began, said Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrskyj. Meanwhile, Ukrainian diplomat Olexander Scherba reported to X about further captures of Russian soldiers in the region.
What specific goals Ukraine is pursuing with the offensive remains largely unclear. The Ukrainian president recently stated that establishing a “buffer zone” in Kursk was one of the goals. Other Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, spoke of a plan that envisages “several stages” – without elaborating on what might be behind it.
Russia continues to advance in eastern Ukraine
However, Russian war bloggers provided a possible clue on Tuesday evening. Ukraine has launched a new advance in Zaporizhia, after the Kremlin had previously partially withdrawn its troops from the city in eastern Ukraine and sent them to Kursk, according to Russian Telegram channels. However, this information cannot currently be independently verified. Russian troops have recently reported gains in territory from other war zones in eastern Ukraine.
Also unconfirmed are reports that have been circulating so far that Russian troops are “trapped” south of the Sejm River after the destruction of important bridges. The Ukrainian tabloid newspaper “Expres” quoted military expert Oleg Zhdanov as saying that there could be a “cauldron” in which up to 700 Russian soldiers could now be. However, there is no exact data on this yet, explained Zhdanov.
Are hundreds of Russian soldiers trapped in Kursk?
The Sejm will become an important dividing line between Ukrainian and Russian troops, the military expert predicted. Ukraine will build “defense strongholds” in the area, he added.
New information about the preparatory phase of the Ukrainian surprise offensive is now coming to light. The Western partners were deliberately not informed about the plan in advance, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
A “high-ranking source” within the Ukrainian government then explained why: “Keeping the Americans in the dark was the key to preventing the Russian secret services and the army from preparing,” journalist Davidzon quoted from Kiev’s government level. “We have learned some very hard lessons from the events of the last counter-offensive.” Now Kiev has taken an example from Israeli military operations. First act, then explain, is the motto there, the source continued.
Putin’s propagandists want to reduce everything in Kursk to “rubble and ashes”
Meanwhile, the offensive in Kursk continues to cause unrest in Russia. Recently, residents of the border region have been angry with Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin chief simply left them behind in Kursk, some of the Kursk residents complained to reporters. The fact that Moscow is also sending conscripts to the new front on its own territory has also recently caused opposition.
Meanwhile, in Moscow TV studios, some of Putin’s propagandists are calling for radical countermeasures, even on their own soil. “We should surround them and then reduce everything to rubble and ashes with carpet bombing,” demanded Russian historian Nataliya Narochnitskaya on state television in view of the threatening situation in Kursk. The residents of Kursk will also have heard this message from Moscow.
