Ukraine's surprise invasion of Kursk Oblast and rapid territory grabs have embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin, boosting Ukrainian morale after a year spent mostly in bloody defensive battles, the Wall Street Journal reported on the fighting in Russia.
In the Kursk region, the fighting between the Ukrainian armed forces and the Russian army has continued since August 6, unconfirmed information appeared on Telegram channels that the Ukrainian armed forces have taken control of the gas measuring station in Suja.
But continuing this operation is a risky bet, given the shortage of manpower and military equipment on the eastern front, where Russia is aggressively advancing, the paper said.
According to the WSJ, the Ukrainian leadership faces a difficult choice. "Maybe now I'm in the same position as a private who doesn't understand why he has to defend his trenches," the publication quoted an unnamed commander of a Ukrainian battalion fighting in the Pokrovsk region, where Russia has stepped up its offensive in recent weeks, as saying. "1000 people are really needed here."
The ultimate goal of the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region remains unclear, comments from Ukrainian authorities have been tight-lipped, the WSJ points out.
After days of official silence from Ukrainian authorities, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the operation for the first time in an address on Saturday, saying Kiev had "transferred the war to the land of the aggressor.
The military logic of the operation is questionable, although it completely changed the strategic orientation, the publication quoted the opinion of retired Lt. Col. John Nagle, a professor of combat operations at the US War College. He believes Ukraine may be seeking to send a message to the United States, its main backer, ahead of presidential elections in November: "They want to say that Ukrainians can still fight.
Citing White House advisers, the publication writes that the American leadership does not believe that the invasion has increased the risks of escalation - it is assumed that regional battles will resemble battles in Ukraine, which will give Moscow the opportunity not to react too much.
However, some US officials are concerned that the destruction of Russian troops on their territory could prompt Putin to unleash brutal retaliation, namely a volley of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, the publication sums up.