Estonian intel on Kursk region: Russia unprepared, must redeploy forces
Photo: Estonian intelligence believes that Russia was not prepared for a breakthrough in the Kursk region (Getty Images)
Russia was not prepared for a border breach in the Kursk region. It will have to redeploy troops from other directions, according to Janek Kesselmann, deputy commander of the Estonian Defense Ministry's Intelligence Center.
"It is likely that the armed formations of the Russian Federation were not prepared for the Ukrainian offensive in this region, and the attack came as a surprise to them," he said.
Kesselmann suggested that Ukrainian forces might have advanced 15 kilometers into the Kursk region. He does not rule out that Russia will be forced to redeploy units for defense.
"It is possible that the second line of defense of the Russian Federation in the region has been partially breached. The Ukrainian advance in the Kursk area is likely to lead to the redeployment of Russian units from other directions to ensure the defense of Russian positions and counterattacks against Ukrainian forces in the region," noted the Estonian intelligence officer.
Fighting in the Kursk region
On August 6, Russia claimed that Ukrainian forces had allegedly breached the border in the Kursk region. Initially, Russia asserted that they had halted the advance, but later admitted that combat operations were ongoing.
It is known that fighting has been ongoing for the fourth day in the border areas of the Kursk region. There are suggestions online that the battle zone now covers about 800 square kilometers, with reports of advances up to 30 kilometers into the Kursk region.
Today, August 9, the Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged that fighting has reached the city of Sudzha, which hosts several important facilities, including a power substation and a station through which Russian gas transits through Ukraine to Europe.
Ukrainian military officials have not yet commented on the situation in the Kursk region. For more information on the so-called Kursk breach and what it could mean for Ukraine, follow the link.
