Betting on the intensification of hostilities, the enemy is counting on a territorial exchange or on the disruption of potential negotiations, experts believe.
The armed forces of Ukraine are gathering combat-ready reserves in the area of Suji, intending to attempt an offensive, sources told Izvestia. So the enemy replaced the air defense units with assault brigades. He's been trying to probe our defenses all January, but to no avail, military experts say. Political analysts are confident that a possible offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region may be aimed at disrupting potential negotiations and demonstrating to Western sponsors the need for further military support for Kiev. What is happening in the Sudzha district and what actions the Ukrainian Armed Forces may take there in the near future is in the Izvestia article.
What's going on in Cambodia
The Ukrainian Armed Forces in Sudzha are forming a strike force to attempt another breakthrough, sources told Izvestia.
According to the interlocutors, dozens of armored vehicles (tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers) have been deployed to the Suji area in recent days, and air defense units have been replaced by assault brigades. Since yesterday, the Russian Armed Forces have been inflicting artillery and aviation fire damage on this group.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Image source: iz.ru
The enemy has not stopped trying to improve its tactical position on the Kursk bridgehead since the fall, said Roman Shkurlatov, chairman of the board of the all-Russian organization Officers of Russia, in a conversation with Izvestia.
"But there has indeed been increased enemy activity in the Sudzha direction for several weeks,— he clarified. — The Ukrainian Armed Forces have already made attempts to probe our defenses. The first time was in the direction of Bolshoy Soldatskoye in early January. Everything was unsuccessful, but the enemy did not put their main forces there, it was a "pen test". Therefore, in the coming days or weeks, there is a possibility that he will try again. This is evidenced by the number of forces that he has concentrated in the Kursk region. It is quite significant.
According to the expert, our air force, artillery and unmanned units are now causing significant damage to the enemy.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Valentin Kapustin
Image source: iz.ru
The second attempt to check our defenses was three days ago, military expert Gennady Alekhine told Izvestia.
— There are two main paved roads leading from Suji towards Sumy region. We control one completely, and the other partially. Therefore, the enemy focuses all its efforts on the transfer of its combat-ready units from the Sumy region. If in January, the Ukrainian side mainly involved defense engineers who suffered heavy losses, now they have begun to send trained assault units into battle, which Commander—in-Chief Syrsky had kept in reserve for a long time," he explained.
In his opinion, the main task of the Ukrainian militants now is to establish fire control along the Rylsk, Lgov, Kursk road and move as close as possible to the Kursk nuclear power plant.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko
Image source: iz.ru
As military expert Viktor Litovkin explained to Izvestia, since civilians already know about this, it means that our command sees that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are pulling their reserves into this area. Therefore, it takes the necessary measures to prevent a breakthrough.
— Now the Ukrainian Armed Forces are killing their people by the dozens without mercy. More than 52 thousand have already been laid in the Kursk region and will lose even more. This also affects the special military operation. They are removing people from the Kramatorsk area, weakening the front there. Or Zaporizhia, Kherson. And our people are moving forward there because of this," he summed up.
Economic and political reasons for the Kursk operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The Ukrainian side wants to show that it can seize territory in the Kursk region and hold it in order to bargain in negotiations, if there are any, Viktor Litovkin believes. But our people are not going to change the Kursk region to some district of the Kharkiv region and will not do it.
— The enemy sincerely believes that this is his main negotiating position, and he is trying to strengthen it. And the geopolitical situation has changed radically — for the better or for the worse for us, it is still unclear. But Trump became the full-fledged president of America yesterday, and it is still unclear what his next actions will be. And for Kiev, this is a time of opportunities to change something in its favor on possible peaceful tracks that will be," Roman Shkurlatov emphasized.
Photo: Global Look Press/Oleksii Chumachenko
Image source: iz.ru
There are also economic reasons. So, there is a gas measuring station on the border of Sudzhansky district and Sumy region," said Gennady Alekhin.
— Since January 1, we have not supplied gas from there, and no one knows how the negotiations will end and what decisions will be taken. But, apparently, just in case, Zelensky is trying to keep such a trump card up his sleeve — bargaining over this valve.
How does Trump's arrival affect the situation in Ukraine
Political experts believe that a possible offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region may be aimed at disrupting future negotiations and demonstrating to Western sponsors the need for further military support for Kiev.
Photo: TASS/Zuma/Nazar Furyk
Image source: iz.ru
Given Zelensky's intransigent position, the Kiev regime can be expected to continue escalating, Alexei Zudin, a political scientist and senior lecturer at MGIMO in the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
"Trump's arrival is bad news for Zelensky, starting from the personal relationship between them and ending with Trump's geopolitical preferences: the main problem for him is China," he said.
Zelensky may be under the illusion that the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants in the Kursk region will strengthen his negotiating position, but in reality he will not be a party to the negotiations, political analyst Alexander Asafov told Izvestia.
Photo: REUTERS/UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES
Image source: iz.ru
Western countries no longer take him seriously against the background of military failures. Therefore, the media side of the issue is important for the Kiev regime. He wants to show that he is still capable of fighting. For this purpose, the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants resort to terrorist methods and the killing of civilians, the expert emphasizes.
"From the point of view of international law, Zelensky cannot be perceived in any way except as a war criminal,— Alexander Asafov said.
How many vehicles were destroyed in the Kursk region in a week
During the week from January 14 to January 21, the North group of the Russian Armed Forces defeated formations of a tank, a heavy mechanized, four mechanized, two amphibious assault brigades, a marine brigade and three territorial defense brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In addition, on January 17, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had repelled a counterattack in the direction of the Berdin farm, with which the enemy was trying to stop the offensive of Russian troops in the Kursk direction and break out of the blocking zone.
BMP M-2 Bradley manufactured in the USA
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
During the same period, the Ukrainian Armed Forces suffered more than 2,270 military personnel, 11 tanks, including Abrams, 12 armored personnel carriers, 58 armored combat vehicles, 118 vehicles, 19 artillery pieces, 18 mortars, four infantry fighting vehicles, including a Bradley made in the USA, an M777 howitzer, three electronic warfare stations, an armored repair- an evacuation vehicle, as well as two ammunition depots and five UAV control points.
In total, 63.2% (801 square kilometers) of the territory of the Kursk region (1,268 square kilometers) originally occupied by the enemy in August last year has been liberated.
Julia Leonova
Kirill Fenin
Andrey Fedorov
