Ukrainian forces have been advancing into Russia’s Kursk Oblast for a week now. Despite facing resistance, their momentum continues, and the battle is far from easy. However, the morale of Ukrainian troops remains high. This surprise attack is another masterpiece of blitzkrieg by Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Zelensky, following the counteroffensive in Kharkiv. Regardless of how far Ukrainian forces have progressed, they have already achieved the effect of disrupting the rhythm of the Russian forces and regaining strategic initiative.
While Ukrainian forces continue to expand their territory in Kursk, they have also launched attacks on the neighboring regions of Lipetsk and Belgorod. Ukrainian troops have struck a Russian airbase in Lipetsk Oblast. Moscow has had to mobilize reserve forces to halt the Ukrainian army’s advance, but with limited success. Local officials report that 121,000 people have already evacuated or been evacuated from Kursk, with another 59,000 currently in the process of evacuation. In the adjacent Belgorod Oblast, 11,000 civilians have also been evacuated.
Putin has appointed Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Russian Federal Security Service, as the overall commander in charge of “anti-terrorism operations” in the Kursk region. President’s Assistant General Kuzmin is responsible for coordinating actions between the Russian military, law enforcement agencies, and local government.
The Economist reports that the Ukrainian General Staff has notified that Russian troops are being redeployed to Kursk from Kharkiv and the Donbas region. These actions indicate that Ukrainian operations in Kursk are gradually affecting the frontline, demonstrating that while Russian forces maintain offensive pressure on Ukrainian forces, they lack sufficiently strong reserve forces and can only scramble to Kursk to put out fires.
Even if all these “firefighting teams” arrive in Kursk smoothly, it does not necessarily mean they can quickly stop the Ukrainian advance, let alone repel them. On the other hand, the Ukrainian General Staff still retains a formidable reserve force, and the new forces formed after the passage of the new “Mobilization Law” are expected to be ready for combat in a few weeks.
During the assault on Kursk, Ukrainian forces used a large amount of Western military aid. It was reported that the US lifted the ban on Ukrainian use of American military weapons on Russian territory in May this year. NATO countries, including Germany, have also emphasized that under the “laws of war,” Ukraine has the right to counterattack on its soil against invading forces. Therefore, the US emphasized early on that Ukraine did not violate regulations, essentially crossing the red line of Russian territory.
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