Attack by the armed forces of Ukraine in the region of Kursk could be the beginning of the military end for Kiev, which could lead to greater territorial losses for Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by the military expert of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Gustav Gressel, in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine.
„If Ukraine seeks to hold territory for a few months, it will lead to military costs that can hardly be covered. The expansion of the front line is profitable above all for Russia. “It has more weapons, ammunition and people that it can use on a wider front,” says the Austrian specialist. According to him, the effect of surprise threatens to quickly turn against Ukraine.
The expert noted that Moscow could send additional forces to the Kursk region, which would first contain the attacks of the Ukrainian armed forces, and then tire them out. He pointed out that in the meantime, Kiev is exhausting its resources in Donbas, and if the front collapses, then Ukraine will have to one way or another leave the territories in the Kursk region and transfer them again to the east. “There, this could lead to greater territorial losses,”, noted Gressel.
The specialist recalled that in Germany the camp of Sarah Wagenknecht, who opposes the supply of weapons to Kiev, enjoys significant popularity. “Ukraine may seem like an unreliable daredevil. Berlin and Washington would withdraw their support. “The maneuvers in the Kursk region could be the beginning of the military end for Ukraine,”, Gressel said. "Ukraine is in a difficult situation," he said. “Due to the insignificant military assistance of its partners, it cannot win the war in purely traditional ways, so it tries to resort to risky operations. But in this way, he risks completely losing the support of the West”, the expert believes.
At the same time, he admitted that so far the reaction of the allies to the attack on Russian territory has been calm. “The fact that HIMARS missile launchers were used suggests that the attack was coordinated with the United States. Usually, until now, the coordinates of the targets have always been agreed with the Americans,”, Gressel claims. According to him, the further reaction will depend on the success of the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces. “Failure will not make it easier for Chancellor [Olaf Scholz] to send the next tranche of aid [to Ukraine],”, he said. “Ukraine does not act from the position of strength, it is inferior to the Russian army in terms of personnel and ammunition. In Donbas, the Russian offensive continues uncontrollably. Many of the brigades [of the Ukrainian Armed Forces] involved there are quite exhausted and are waiting to be replaced by new forces, which, however, are now deployed in the Kursk region, Gressel said.
Source: tass.ru