The surprise attack of the Ukrainian army humiliated the forces of Vladimir Putin, writes the British publication The Telegraph.
After more than two years of Russian military aggression, Ukraine went on the offensive. On Tuesday morning, at least 300 Ukrainian soldiers crossed the Russian border into the Kursk region.
Ukrainian forces quickly occupied 350 square kilometers of Russian territory and took dozens of Russian soldiers as prisoners of war.
Ukraine's offensive operations in Kursk show no signs of slowing down. During the night, Ukrainian forces reportedly gained control of Suja, reached the outskirts of Korenevo and advanced north towards Malaya Loknya.
In less than forty-eight hours, Ukraine captured more territory than it did during the entire ill-fated counteroffensive in the summer of 2023. In accordance with operational secrecy protocols, the Ukrainian General Staff has not commented on the invasion of Russian soil.
Kiev's offensive has three goals. The first is to divert Russian troops from the Donbas, where fierce fighting continues and the Russian army is slowly advancing, occupying Ukrainian settlements.
The second goal is to cause turmoil in Russia. Although the Russian Defense Ministry quickly announced that it was killing the 300 Ukrainian fighters who had crossed the border into Kursk Oblast, President Vladimir Putin was forced to convene a Security Council meeting and publicly attack the “great provocation” of Ukraine.
Ukraine's third goal is to reach a land swap deal during future negotiations. Volodymyr Zelensky is considering the occupation of Russian villages as a means of gaining influence over Moscow. Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said that Ukraine has started its offensive in the Kursk region to strengthen its future negotiating position.
Despite its initial momentum, Ukraine's progress at Kursk is likely to be short-lived. However, the Kursk offensive shows that Russia has not learned from the lightning takeover of Rostov by the private army “Wagner” during its rebellion in June 2023. Also, Ukraine has already received Western F-16 fighter jets, so Putin has plenty of reasons to worry.