The Ukrainian offensive in the Russian region of Kursk Meanwhile, Kiev’s troops have with tens of thousands of soldiers occupied more than 1000 square kilometers in Russia – and continue to make progress.
Renowned military experts Michael Kofman and Rob Lee present in a Guest article for “Foreign Affairs” Now the question: Will the risk the Ukrainians have taken pay off?
One aim of the offensive in Russia was to to tie up Russian troops that will be used for an offensive near the Ukrainian city of DonetskDue to the element of surprise, such a reaction from Russia seemed obvious.
Instead, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyj explained, Moscow sent more units to the front at Pokrovsk. Since the Ukrainians have withdrawn some of their better troops for their Kursk offensive, the pressure in eastern Ukraine is increasing almost immeasurably.
The Ukrainians are still counting on the front in their own country not collapsing and the losses they would have to accept there would be offset by the gains in Kurskwrite Kofman and Lee. What the Ukrainians have undoubtedly achieved is to establish a military buffer zone in the border region.
It remains unclear what this means for possible peace negotiations. But even apart from that, Kiev is likely to want to use the Kursk offensive for political purposes.
According to Kofman and Lee, this has at least the military momentum in the public has changed – after all, we are talking about the first major Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region for months.
According to experts, the move is intended to encourage Western allies to provide further assistance. And so it will A risk that is unlikely to pay off without a common strategy between Ukraine and its NATO partners.
The most important news of the day at a glance
- The advance of Ukrainian soldiers in the Russian region of Kursk, which began on August 6, is going according to plan, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr SelenskyjThe objectives of the operation were achieved, he said on Monday. Read more in the news blog.
- According to President Vladimir Putin, the Russian military is continuing to advance despite the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk border region in eastern UkraineAccording to the RIA news agency, Putin said Ukraine’s “provocation” in the Russian region of Kursk could not stop the advance in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
- According to calculations by the AFP news agency, the Russian army advanced in Ukraine in August to its greatest extent since October 2022According to the report, the Russian army brought 477 square kilometers under its control in Ukraine last month.
- Did Ukraine shoot down its own fighter jet? At the beginning of last week, Ukraine confirmed the loss of one of its F-16 fighter jets and the death of the pilot Oleksii “Moonfish” Mes. The search for the cause is still ongoing. There are different theories. Read more here.
- Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski sees Warsaw in the Duty, to shoot down Russian drones and other missiles approaching from Ukraine before they enter Polish airspace. Read more here.
- According to Ukrainian military sources, the capital Kiev is once again the target of a Russian missile attack. Other parts of Ukraine were also hit. According to official reports, several people were injured. Read more here.
- Ukraine repeatedly attacks military and energy infrastructure targets in RussiaUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described his military’s recent drone attacks as a necessity. “The terrorist state must feel what it is like to wage war,” Zelensky said. Read more here.
- For the first time, Russia has used a mixture of a guided missile and a glide bomb in Kharkiv, the Grom-E1This was announced by the city’s mayor, Igor Terekhov, on Telegram. According to the report, the Russian armed forces shelled the city with these weapons on August 31.
