Ukraine Kursk operation: Expert evaluates task effectiveness
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
The objectives of Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region have been partially achieved. Residents of the Sumy region still cannot feel safe, but the intensity of fighting in some areas of the frontline has decreased, according to the article “Vulnerable spot: How Kursk operation affected frontline and risks for Ukrainian army”.
Colonel Vladyslav Seleznov, a military expert and former spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told RBC-Ukraine that the task of the buffer zone has been partially fulfilled. Russia is still attacking the Sumy region with guided aerial bombs and missiles, but there has been a significant decrease in mortar and artillery attacks, as well as the activity of Russian subversive reconnaissance groups.
In his opinion, the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops near Kursk to block the expansion of the Ukrainian bridgehead is also positive.
“The intensity of fighting in some areas has indeed decreased. Of course, Russia is not yet moving troops from Pokrovsk and Toretsk, but it is withdrawing some resources from auxiliary areas. These are the south of Ukraine, the north in the area of Vovchansk and Lyptsi (Kharkiv region - ed.), and the area of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region,” said Seleznov.
According to him, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine chose the most rational option and struck at the place where the enemy was most vulnerable. The expert added that at the beginning of August, there were 55 thousand Russian soldiers in the Belgorod region and 10 thousand in the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
“That is, we struck exactly where Russia did not expect it. And thanks to the effective use of engineering equipment, we instantly broke through the first and second lines of defense. Now Russia is beginning to push us back a little, but in a month we have established strongholds in some areas to conduct long-term combat operations. And as long as the Russians try to push the Ukrainian army out, they will suffer even greater losses,” the source explains.
Kursk operation ongoing for a month now
The Kursk operation of Ukrainian forces began on August 6. The Ukrainian Armed Forces broke through the border in the Kursk region. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Ukrainian military launched a preemptive strike to drive the threat away from the Sumy region.
The president notes the operation went according to a positive scenario, so plan A was used. But Ukraine was also prepared for a worst-case scenario.
The Ukrainian command also says that replenishing the exchange fund for POWs remains an important task, as it helps Ukrainian defenders return home.
