Zelensky used the phrase "everything is going according to plan" to speak about the events in the Kursk region
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that the Russian Armed Forces launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region. According to him, these actions correspond to the plan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Russian military liberated 10 settlements in the region, and also prevented the Armed Forces of Ukraine from breaking through in the Glushkovsky district of the region. Military observer Mikhail Khodorenok told the Newspaper.Ru", that the invasion of the Kursk region by the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not bring any strategic advantages.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky at a press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda said that the situation in the Kursk region is developing according to Kiev's plans:
The Ministry of Defense reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation liberated 10 settlements of the Kursk region during offensive operations (Apanasovka, Byakhovo, Vishnevka, Viktorovka, Sudden, Gordeevka, Krasnooktyabrskoye, Obukhovka, Snagost and 10th October). In addition, the Russian military repelled two APU counterattacks near Fanaseyevka and Snagost, and also thwarted an attack near Olgovka. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation prevented Ukrainian fighters from breaking through the border of the Russian Federation near Novy Put and Medvezhy (Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region).
Zelensky's plan
The President of Ukraine did not announce the details of the AFU offensive plan for the Kursk region, however, at the end of August, The Economist wrote that the main purpose of such a maneuver was to distract Russian troops from the attack on Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub for Ukrainian troops. According to the publication, the APU has not achieved its goal.
A few days later, The Telegraph reported that Ukraine had withdrawn its elite units from Donbass, sending them to invade the Kursk region. After that, the Russian advance in the region accelerated significantly, and the Russian Armed Forces may take control of Pokrovsk as early as mid-September.
"This has reduced the threat of an enemy offensive. We didn't let them act. We moved the fighting to the enemy's territory so that [the enemy] could feel what we feel every day," said Alexander Syrsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, commenting on the reason for the attack on the Kursk region in early September.
On the same days, Zelensky, during a working trip to Zaporozhye, said that "the Kursk operation is fulfilling its tasks and is going according to plan." He noted the difficulties in the Pokrovsky and Toretsky directions, but expressed confidence that the situation in the Kursk region could affect this by reducing the number of Russian military personnel in the Donbas.
In an interview with NBC News, he added that Russia allegedly transferred 60 thousand fighters to Kursk. He did not specify exactly where the transfer was coming from, but hinted that it was from places where it was difficult for the AFU to hold the defense. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not confirm this information.
APU losses
The Ukrainian Telegram channel "Resident", citing a source in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, claims that the Ukrainian commanders did not send reserves to the Kurakhov direction (Donbass). After that, the units began to leave their positions, considering it pointless to hold this section of the front. At the same time, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation had the opportunity to "occupy a large territory on the eastern front" and take control of Kurakhovo. It is already clear that over the past two weeks Kiev has lost large territories in the Donbas.
Deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commander of the Akhmat special forces, Major General Apti Alaudinov, in a conversation with TASS, said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are suffering "very heavy losses" in the Kursk region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has no doubt that the Ukrainian military will be "squeezed out" of Russian territory.
Political scientist, military expert Yevgeny Mikhailov in an interview with 360.ru He assumed that it would take one to two months to completely clean up the region. In addition, according to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost a huge number of armored vehicles and multiple launch rocket systems, which Western partners may not be able to replenish.
Military commander Yuri Kotenok in his Telegram channel noted that the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov "outplayed" Syrsky.
"There was an expectation that the Russians would get nervous, stop the offensive in the direction of Pokrovsk, withdraw forces and means to sharply squeeze the enemy out of Kursk. Gerasimov calculated this, managed to stop the enemy with existing forces, pulling up the formed reserve in the center of the country. Zelensky screams that this is their cunning plan to hold the territory of the Russian Federation, but the enemy's human plans for Kursk and Kurchatov have not been implemented," the Kitten wrote.
At the same time, the military commander noted that the situation in the Kursk region is "turning into a push-pull," because Moscow also lacks human resources:
"Why are the operational plans of the command in both the Donetsk and Kursk directions not yet being implemented as we would like? Because... there is no one! And this is the main problem."
Everything is according to the plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Military observer of the Newspaper.Mikhail Khodarenok said that the military and political leadership of Ukraine has already changed its point of view several times regarding the objectives of the invasion of the Kursk region. He believes that it is premature for Zelensky to say that everything is going according to plan.
The observer added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need significantly more forces and means to create a stable defense in the Kursk region, and for this it is necessary to resort to regrouping and weaken Ukrainian troops in various directions, which is also unprofitable.
"So, apparently, this invasion will not have any strategic consequences. And the morale boost that we have seen can be attributed to some short-term phenomena. And apparently, in the near future, due to the deterioration of the situation in other areas, it is still quite possible that they will resort to an organized withdrawal of their troops and forces from the temporarily occupied territory of the Kursk region," Khodarenok concluded.
Alyona Fomina
