EThe Ukrainian Army For a week now, the US has been carrying out what is considered to be the most important attack by a foreign army inside Russia since the World War II.
According to the criteria of
Since last Tuesday, kyiv troops have launched a raid on the Kursk regionbordering both countries, and in this time they have already representative of 28 localitiesaccording to acting Governor Alexei Smirnov.
Although the official indicated that the Ukrainian operation covers an area of 40 kilometers wide and 12 kilometers deep in Russian territory, Ukraine, for its part, assures that they have already captured some 1,000 square kilometers of land.
In view of this, Russian President Vladimir PutinPutin vowed on Monday to expel Ukrainian soldiers and closed off any negotiations with kyiv. “But what negotiations can we talk about now? With people who are indiscriminately bombing civilians (…), who are trying to create threats to nuclear facilities?” Putin asked at a special meeting on the situation in the border areas broadcast on state television. “The main task of the Ministry of Defense is, obviously, to expel the enemy from our territories,” added the Russian president, who blames the West for fighting his people “through the Ukrainians.”
But what negotiations can we talk about now? With people who are indiscriminately bombing civilians (…), who are trying to create threats to nuclear facilities?
For Putin, this is an unexpected setback after months of advantage on the eastern front in Ukraine. where little by little it has gained ground. In fact, the Russian army claimed on Monday the capture of the village of Lisichne, in the east. However, this Ukrainian incursion has already left at least 12 civilians dead and 121 injured, “including 10 children”according to Smirnov.
Analysts say kyiv probably launched the assault to relieve pressure on its outnumbered and under-armed troops elsewhere along the front. But how long will Ukraine be able to hold out against this offensive?
Russian Defense Ministry footage of support troops advancing toward Kursk.
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What have Ukrainian troops achieved in Russia and how serious is the challenge for Vladimir Putin?
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US military affairs think tank, said the Kursk operation “allowed Ukrainian forces to at least temporarily take the initiative on the battlefield.”
According to ISW analysis, Ukraine has been focused on defensive operations in recent months in response to the onslaught of Russian troops, which has intensified particularly in the east of the country since November last year. This move by kyiv is intended to divert attention from the conflict.
This operation in Kursk “has allowed Ukrainian forces to take at least temporarily the initiative on the battlefield”
“The Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast, however, has forced the Kremlin and the Russian military command to react and redeploy forces and assets to the sector where Ukrainian forces have launched attacks,” ISW said.
But for now, The incursion has not weakened the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow has been gaining ground for months.said the senior Ukrainian security official, who requested anonymity.
However, the think tank adds that Putin and the Russian military command “likely incorrectly assessed that Ukraine lacked the ability to contest the initiative and its capacity to achieve operational surprise.”
By the way, Russian authorities on Monday ordered new evacuations of civilians in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, which also border Ukraine. “To date, 121,000 people have left or been evacuated” from Kursk, Smirnov said.
The authorities in Belgorod have also announced evacuations of one district in the face of the “alarming” situation, even though the fighting has not reached the region. And in Moscow, the reception of displaced people has been organised for several days. “Our compatriots are suffering,” Ivan, a 31-year-old lawyer who brought clothes to a collection centre, told AFP. “At times like this, we have to be supportive.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin at his security council meeting on Monday.
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Questions raised by the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk
According to Russian military bloggers, Ukraine employs a tactic of rapid advances with small Assault groups consisting of up to six armored vehicles bypass Russian positions and enter nearby towns for searches, after which they abandon them, creating the impression of a major offensive.
This would pose serious challenges for Russian troops. However, according to these same sources, the Ukrainian forces taking part in this operation would only number 1,000 men, whereby It is unclear how successful they can be in the long term.“The operation is a major gamble for Ukraine, which is facing a shortage of men and military equipment in eastern Ukraine, where Russia continues to apply pressure,” explains one of the correspondents of The Wall Street Journal in an article.
The operation is a big gamble for Ukraine, which faces a shortage of men and military equipment in eastern Ukraine, where Russia continues to exert pressure.
Moreover, for the time being, the Russian Ministry of Defense is not redeploying its troops already deployed in Ukraine, but is instead sending smaller brigades to contain the attack on Kursk. In this sense, it remains a question for Western intelligence services what exactly kyiv is seeking with all this move. Already in the past, some high-ranking sources in the US government said at the end of last week that they were “still looking for some clarity and foundation” on what is happening.
However, the progress is said to be a morale boost for Ukrainians. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the developments were a “disaster in this war” for Moscow.
“We can see what is happening to Russia under (President Vladimir) Putin: 24 years ago there was the Kursk disaster, the symbolic beginning of his rule,” he said in his daily address to citizens.
*Con AFP
