Long after the Ukrainian army entered Russian territory with its infantry, the country's political and military leadership remained silent about the goals of the attack. On Saturday evening, President Zelensky for the first time commented on the topic and stated that the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, had informed him about the "advancement of the war on the territory of the aggressor". As Zelensky added, “Ukraine proves that it is capable of providing justice and putting pressure on the aggressor.
Finally there was good news for the Ukrainian population – after months of defense and painful losses at the front, ARD notes on this occasion. Alexander from Zaporizhia told the German public media: “The fact that our boys are in Kursk is good. We have been bearing their blows for over two years, and now let them feel what it is like. For our children and grandchildren“.
But nearly a week after the start of the offensive, information from the region remains scarce and cannot be verified by independent sources. According to data from the American Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian units have entered 35 kilometers into Russian territory. Other military experts also accept this assessment as realistic.
„It is not clear what the army controls“
American military analyst Michael Coffman, however, expresses doubts regarding this information. He does not believe that Ukraine actually controls the area – according to him, it is too early for that.
„It is not clear what the army controls and what it intends to keep. What is certain is that they launched an attack – they passed through the Russian border guards and took many prisoners. "We don't know how many there are, but it's probably hundreds," Coffman said on his podcast.
As ARD summarizes, many observers are unanimous – Ukraine has managed to greatly surprise the Russians. And one more thing – this attack is very different from previous smaller-scale incursions into Russian territory. Apparently, it is a long-planned operation of the Ukrainian army.
What are the risks for Ukraine
According to Kofman, with its attack on Russia, Ukraine is taking a big risk. Meanwhile, it is understood that Russia has moved troops from the Kharkiv front to the Kursk region, but from the key Donbas front it has so far sent significantly fewer forces than Kiev would like. This was reported by the British publication The Economist, citing its sources.
"Their (Russian - note ed.) commanders are not idiots,", says a source from the Ukrainian General Staff. "They are moving troops, but not as fast as we would like. They know we can't stretch our logistics 80 or 100 kilometers," he added. The interlocutor of The Economist urged not to make comparisons between what is happening in the Kursk region and Ukraine's successful operation to recapture most of the Kharkiv region at the end of 2022. "The danger is that we will fall into a trap and Russia will break our teeth," he adds.
Better negotiating positions?
For DV, military experts say that Ukraine seeks to conquer as much Russian territory as possible in order to be able to put pressure on Moscow. In this situation, Kiev would be in a better position in possible peace negotiations: Russian-occupied lands could be exchanged for Ukrainian-occupied Russian territories. From a military-strategic point of view, advancing into Russia could lead to the creation of a buffer zone for the population in those areas of Ukraine where fighting is taking place.
As for the risk taken, Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov tells DV that it definitely exists, but thanks to the continued military support from the West, Ukraine has gained new strength. According to him, the invasion was mostly a political success for Ukraine in its quest to put pressure on the Russian leadership.
Authors: Yanina Semenova | Yuri Resheto | Ekaterina Venkina | Rebecca Bart ARD