Early Tuesday morning, Ukrainian forces surprised President Vladimir Putin when they moved into the Russian region of Kursk. – This is one of several ways of bringing the war to the Russian people. And remind them that no one is safe because of the war that Putin has chosen to start, says former lieutenant general Arne Bård Dalhaug. Destroyed buildings in Sudzha after Ukrainian attacks in Kursk. The photo was published by the governor of the Russian region, Alexei Smirnov. Photo: the governor of the Kursk, Alexei Smirnov via AP Ukrainian military vehicles have now entered ten kilometers into Russian territory, videos verified by the American think tank Institute for the study of war (ISW) show. According to a Russian source, the forces have control over 45 square kilometers of Kursk. Other sources claim that the Ukrainian forces have taken 11 inhabited areas. Geoverified images show extensive destruction at the border crossing. The Ukrainian forces are said to have also taken 40 prisoners of war, according to ISW. According to the state-run Russian news agency Tass, 3,000 people are to be evacuated from the region. The Ukrainian authorities have not directly confirmed that they are behind the attack, but on Thursday an adviser to the Ukrainian president wrote: – Russian aggression is the reason for all escalation, including the events in the regions of Kursk and Belgrade. The map shows some of the inhabited areas Ukrainian forces have taken control of, according to ISW. It is not the first time that Ukrainian ground forces have entered Russia. But this time the attack is bigger. There are several forces involved. They are supported by a lot of artillery and other support weapons, explains Dalhaug. Political message Now they are going in with ground forces to signal that the Russian military is unable to protect its population along the border, he believes. – It is clear that it is a serious matter if that image were to stick with the Russians, that they are not safe along the border. Lieutenant General Arne Bård Dalhaug is excited about how Russia will respond to Ukrainian attacks. Photo: Kristin thrane / news Ukraine’s goal is therefore not necessarily to hold on to these areas over time. They cause a lot of damage, take prisoners of war, and create a number of problems before retreating into Ukraine’s territory: – There is no reason to use up the forces to hold Russian territory somewhere in Kursk. It has no strategic significance beyond the fact that it is important to signal that they can go on the offensive. – The reality is that they have no control – The attack was another surprise for the Russian side. Of course, it shouldn’t be, because it has happened before. But it was clearly something they were not prepared for, says Dalhaug. He thinks the Kremlin seems unsure of how to respond and portray the attack in the media. The Russians try to balance the image, but appear contradictory, according to an analysis by ISW. On the one hand, they present the attack as a remarkable escalation from Ukraine. On the other hand, they will not cause unrest among the population. President Vladimir Putin meets defense officials after the attack in Kursk. Here with Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu and Director of the Russian Federal Security Service FSB, Alexander Bortnikov. Photo: Sputnik/Aleksey Babushkin/Kremlin Putin met several defense summits the following day. Then Chief of General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov assured that Russia has control over what he calls a “large-scale provocation”. – Whereas the reality is that they have no control. It is quite a bit more than a provocation. At least they have taken 40 Russian prisoners of war so far. So it is a problem for the authorities to harmonize the message, says Dalhaug. They claim they are fighting back The state-run Russian news agency Tass writes that there is an active fight against Ukrainian forces at the border in Sudzha in Kursk. But according to Dalhaug, the Russians have so far not been able to come up with a sufficient counterattack. How long the Ukrainian forces hold out depends on how Russia responds, he adds. – As of now, the Ukrainian forces inside Russian areas have very good control over where larger Russian forces are located. If nothing happens, they can just be there. Sudzha is located approximately 10 kilometers from the border between Ukraine and Russia. The photo was published by the governor of the Kursk, Alexei Smirnov via AP Photo: the governor of the Kursk, Alexei Smirnov via Reuters The US officially discourages A spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, tells The Wall Street Journal that they did not know the background of the attack before they themselves had to contact Kyiv. The Biden administration has advised against attacks on Russian territory. Earlier this year, US President Joe Biden is said to have secretly given Ukraine permission to use US weapons to hit targets in Russia, but only near the Kharkiv region, according to the newspaper. – Nothing about our policy has changed, Miller tells the newspaper and emphasizes that the attacks in Kursk are not contrary to their guidelines. – I think it is important to follow how this develops, and not least how long it takes before the Russian side manages to put adequate countermeasures in place, adds Dalhaug. Published 08/08/2024, at 8.30 p.m
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Ukrainian ground invasion in Kursk – Russia struggles to respond – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
