According to them, having the initiative in the entire hostilities area from November 2023 allowed the Russians to determine the location, time, scale and requirements of fighting in Ukraine themselves, while Kiev was forced to devote material and human resources to reactive defensive operations.
According to data provided by the news agency AFP, the Ukrainian army took control of at least 800 square kilometers of territory during its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region by Monday evening. Russian forces occupied 69 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory during the same period.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin continues to portray himself as efficient and knowledgeable about the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border. He is shifting responsibility for the ongoing challenges in responding to Ukraine’s incursion into the region to other Russian military and government officials.
The operation of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region forced the Kremlin and the Russian military leadership to react and move forces and assets to the section where the Ukrainian troops launched the offensive.
The Russian army did not conduct active combat operations in the Kursk region, but used its own initiative to put pressure on Ukraine. Among other things, the Russians prevented Ukrainian forces from marshalling manpower and assets for future counterattack operations, while setting the pace for hostilities.
Analysts say this operation by the Ukrainian armed forces and possible further incursions across the border are forcing Russia to decide whether to consider the 1,000-kilometer international border with Ukraine a legitimate frontline for Russia to defend. This may lead to constraints on long-term operational planning that Russia has not faced before.
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2024-08-15 06:53:34