"We can win this war": The Armed Forces Operation in Kursk Oblast sends the event signal - CNN
The bold invasion of Ukraine into the Russian Kursk region became a triumph of its military intelligence and tactical maneuverability, as well as a signal that, despite the advantage in the live force and armored vehicles, there are many vulnerable places in the Russian army. CNN writes about it. It is also important that this was the political message to Kyiv's allies, which changed the view that Ukrainian troops were doomed to endless reargartens against Russian fire power.
Suddenly, Moscow's statements are often repeated that President Vladimir Putin still calls "a special military operation", will have become empty. Ukrainian troops claim that in August they occupied almost the same area in Russia (about 1,200 square kilometers according to their own estimates), how many Russians have won in Ukraine for the whole year. Moscow has failed since the invasion of 2022, in which Kiev had to fall in less than a week.
But the goals - and the methods of their achievement - have not changed: massive bombardment, accompanied by the use of infantry.
The analysis of the Institute for the study of war says: "Putin probably believes that until Russia can keep the initiative and not allow Kiev to carry out promptly significant counter -offensive operations, Moscow will be able to cause decisive losses in the long run while experiencing Western security and Ukrainian security Efforts to mobilize most of the economy and the population of Ukraine for hostilities.
" Senior researcher at the Center for Analysis of European Policy, Mattew Bul, agreed that "if you look at the overall strategy of each country, it may have changed little. " "But for the first time in many months, this operation imposed a different version of events by the Kremlin, and the first cracks appeared in the version of Putin," Bulav said.
The Ukrainian military broke the growing consent among the supporters of Ukraine that it had a chance to return most of its territory, if at least something. According to Kyiv, Kursk demonstrates that his military deserves constant, faster and better support from the Allies, as it can change the direction of war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized this in his address: "We have already expanded and continue to expand the circle of those who support the fair end of this war.
It is extremely important for Ukraine to enter this fall even stronger than before. " Former Australian General Mick Ryan noted that Kursk "demonstrated Ukrainian knowledge and adaptation after the failure of the counter -offensive of 2023", referring to a widely advertised offensive that has not brought practically no results to Kiev.
"The purpose of Ukraine here is to demonstrate that the victory of Russia is not inevitable, and that Ukraine can fight and win", "Ryan added, convincing those who doubt, keep support and, perhaps even more important Restrictions on how and where their weapons can be used. , Even before May, the use of American weapons in the Russian territory was a red line for Baiden administration, which was afraid of escalation.
After that, the ban was softened, which allowed some American systems to target the territory of Russia. Armored vehicles and tanks provided by the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom noticed how they were swollen by Russian rural areas, and Western missiles destroyed bridges that could help Russian troops. Zelensky stated that Black of Russia was exposed.
"The whole naive, illusory concept of so -called red lines regarding Russia, which prevailed in the estimates of the war of some of our partners, has fallen under a judge these days," he said. "Ukraine has once again demonstrated that the various red lines outlined by the Russian president are nothing more than a chimera designed to strengthen the event's political fear of making war decisions," Ryan said.
Bullots claims that Kursk Operation is a valuable way for both allies of Ukraine "to check Putin's pain threshold, a really good way to check other forms of deterrent to Russia using a mediator. " Ukrainians won an important political victory: there were no public objections against the opening of the new front, but by many NATO members, including Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA, this has even caused approval.
"Because they see that attacks occur across the border, they must be able to respond," said Pentagon Sabrina Singh's spokesman. But there is a limit of the comfort of the event. Ukraine would like to target ATACMS missiles at airfields in the depths of Russia, but Washington seems to be not inclined to agree.
Zelensky stressed that "if our partners have removed all the available restrictions on the use of such weapons in Russia, we would not have to physically enter the Kursk region in order to protect our Ukrainian citizens in border areas and destroy the potential of Russian aggression. " However, the capture of the Russian territory improves Ukraine's position in any negotiation, and also serves as a former President Donald Trump wins the US elections and try to impose a peaceful settlement.
The success of the operation "Kursk" was not only due to Western equipment: the operation was performed by Ukrainian intelligence services, planning and special forces, as well as a large number of Ukrainian drones, artillery, radio electronic wrestling and even thermobaric weapons. It also gives the allies the confidence that Ukrainians are not always in defense, that they learn the Western way of warfare after the great hopes for the counter -offensive in 2023 have been broken, CNN notes.
As one of the Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk noted: "This operation was very well planned. I do not know who worked on the plan, but they coped well. We were moving in the center, we were supported on the left and right. Excellent operation. " The Kursk operation remains a risky game for Ukraine at a time when Russian troops are approaching two important nodes in the east of Donetsk: the bridge of Pokrovsk and Toretsk. But Ukrainian troops showed that conflict is not a street with a one -sided movement.
It is unclear whether it will be a turning point for Ukrainians, - said the analyst Bul, because maintaining an operation where the Armed Forces control the territory with the size of Hong Kong will become more difficult because Russia will be more and more artillery and aviation.