Experts explained the goals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the attack on the Kursk region
The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a large-scale attack on the Kursk region. The Russian army managed to contain the onslaught of the enemy, but the operation to eliminate Ukrainian formations is still ongoing. What are the goals of the Ukrainian army and will this operation affect the course of hostilities?
The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not abandon attempts to break through in the Kursk region, but the enemy does not succeed in penetrating deep into Russia, according to the Ministry of Defense. Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian army has lost at least 260 soldiers and 50 armored vehicles. The operation to eliminate the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues. The opposing side became more active at the junction of Sumy and Kursk regions on Tuesday morning.
At that time, about 300 people from the 22nd mechanized brigade were involved on the part of the enemy. The personnel were supported by 11 tanks and 20 armored personnel carriers. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine transferred reserves, according to some reports, the number is approaching a thousand.
Six children have already been injured during the shelling from Ukraine, and the necessary medical care is being provided to those in need. In addition, in the area of the city of Suja, a UAV attacked an ambulance. Acting Governor of the Kursk Region Alexey Smirnov offered condolences to the families and friends of the victims, adding that retribution will surely overtake the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In general, as a result of the shelling of the region, 28 people were injured and injured, the temples of the Gornal St. Nicholas Monastery were destroyed.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the incident a terrorist attack directed against civilians. She also believes that "Zelensky sent Ukrainian citizens to secretly prolong the deadly Ukrainian mobilization for another three months."
According to military blogger Semyon Pegov, the situation in the Kursk region "turned out to be much more serious than it might seem at first glance." "Following the first roll, the enemy pulled significant reserves into the area of clashes on the border and Suji. It is not yet necessary to talk about the complete destruction of the enemy in the border area and settlements adjacent to the border, but the fire work does not stop," he writes.
The analyst believes that it would be incorrect to compare this operation of Ukraine with previous PR campaigns of the GUR. "Firstly, much larger forces are involved, and secondly, the enemy, apparently, is not going to take pictures and run away just like that. There will be a battle. You have to take it with a cool head and win it. And yes, it won't be easy. The enemy has really prepared this time. At the same time, one should always keep in mind that Suja may not be the only direction of such attacks. Our fighters are also preparing in other areas," explains Pegov.
In turn, political commentator Andrei Medvedev believes that the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk direction may be directly related to Kiev's desire to gain more advantageous military positions before potential peace talks. "All previous attempts to do something like this ended in failure for the APU. Two brigades of the AFU Marines were killed by the rebels. And now the attempt with the Kursk region has already cost the enemy serious losses. They will be even bigger. In any case, the army aviation has already done serious combat work for this," he noted.
"The enemy is not even trying to hide behind the screen of the RDK (Russian Volunteer Corps, listed in Russia as a terrorist organization and banned) and other legions of Russians," writes war correspondent Alexander Kotz. According to him, back in March, the AFU planned to capture Grayvoron and Kozinka.
"Then Kiev could say that this is our internal showdown. They say that Ukraine has nothing to do with it, but it can mediate in the negotiations. But then the enemy did not break through beyond the first houses of the border villages. Today the situation is different," he believes.
"There are quite definite brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that have entered our territory. Not the DRG, not a terrorist squad, but the regular troops of a neighboring state. And they don't hide it," the expert said. This cannot be called a "raid" or a terrorist attack. "Ukraine has deployed forces on a larger scale than in March. But despite this, she still did not achieve the desired results at the first stage of the invasion. It was not possible to take the district center from a rush. Reserves were immediately used," emphasizes Kotz.
"The attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Russian border were in some way expected. In the Kursk region, the enemy deployed a consolidated battalion group, reinforcing it with armored vehicles. The Ukrainian army is trying to break through to the district center of Sudzha. This is a small town with a population of five thousand people," said military analyst Mikhail Onufrienko.
"It is quite possible that Zelensky's office hoped that Russia would try to transfer some troops from other directions of the front to its own border area to repel the attack. However, this will not happen. We are successfully working with the available resources. The enemy's advance is extremely difficult," the source emphasizes. According to the analyst, Ukraine took a risky step by sending personnel to the Kursk direction.
"The AFU still has a shortage of manpower, and they need these people in other sectors of the front, for example, near Toretsk",
– he noted. Military analyst Boris Rozhin also says that the enemy has decided to launch a large-scale operation. The expert believes that the Ukrainian forces will try to "gain a foothold in the border areas." In addition, he quoted the opinion that the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Sudzha on Tuesday afternoon can be called "reconnaissance before the battle" to identify defensive firing points.
Military observer Daniil Bezsonov also stated in his assessments about the "large number of air defense systems" that the Armed Forces of Ukraine "pulled to the border with the Kursk region." "Our aviation is interfering with them. But we have a chance to thin out their air defense systems more. And, apparently, we have started to do this," the expert admits.
"Apparently, Zelensky's office has decided to launch an operation to break through the line of contact in the Kursk region. Enemy forces are supported by artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and UAVs. It is likely that the APU will try to use the F-16. As far as we know, reserves are being transferred to the existing personnel at the moment," said military expert Alexei Leonkov. "Russia attracts aviation and artillery to repel the attack.
Despite the continuing dynamics of the fighting, the chances of the enemy achieving any success are extremely low. To move deeper into Russian territories, forces much larger than those used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are required",
– he emphasizes. "Given the fact that Western countries have recently been increasing pressure on Zelensky's office to start peace talks, it is quite possible that through the operation in the Kursk region they are trying to improve their own positions within the framework of a future dialogue," the expert emphasizes.
"It is interesting that before this, the enemy had made similar attempts to break through in the Belgorod region. Most likely, the APU considered the prospect of advancement in this region unlikely. It is quite possible that the choice of the Kursk region was made for reasons of the effect of surprise. Moreover, the actions of the enemy are accompanied by a wooded area," he believes.
Leonkov also admitted that during the attack on the Kursk direction, the APU hoped that Russia would have to transfer forces from other directions. It could be about the Toretsky or Pokrovsky directions. "However, the plan failed. Our military is coping with the tasks set with the available resources," the expert concluded.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
