Kremlin announced a "counter-terrorist operation" in three regions of the Russian Federation adjacent to Ukraine, including Kursk Oblast. This could mean that Vladimir Putin has appointed FSB director Alexander Bortnikov, who is most trusted among the security forces, to lead the defense of Kursk.
According to the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Bortnikov had previously established himself as an effective crisis manager for the Kremlin regime. It is believed that it was Bortnikov who managed to achieve a peaceful outcome of the “Wagner uprising“ led by Yevgeny Prigozhin in June 2023.
Now, like the summer of 2023, the Putin regime is in total shock from the surprise invasion of the Ukrainian army on Russian territory. After his full-scale aggression against Ukraine, Putin has become even more paranoid and has very few people he trusts. Moreover, purely formally according to Russian legislation, the “counter-terrorist operation” it should be led by the special services, not the army.
The announcement of an anti-terrorist operation led by Bortnikov suggests that Putin was unhappy with the way the Russian military command was handling the situation in the Kursk region. Analysts point out that the Chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, during a meeting on August 7, lied to Putin that his troops were effectively controlling the situation and had stopped the Ukrainian advance in the Kursk region.
At the same time, ISW believes that the format of the “counter-terrorist operation” led by the FSB and Bortnikov could complicate things for the Russians and reduce the effectiveness of their actions when trying to stop the Ukrainian advance. After all, we are talking about full-fledged frontline battles in which army units will have to participate. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will be obliged to transfer such units to the FSB, which, according to analysts, will lead to additional friction between these structures, which are already hostile to each other.