If Ukraine's goal with the invasion of the Kursk region, it was sabotage to divert Russian troops from the Donbass to Kursk, then it failed, Forbes reported.
Russian troops are only a few kilometers from the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region – the main target of months of fierce fighting. The city is of strategic value to Ukraine and its loss could be costly.
The Ukrainian army does not have many additional troops to deploy to the Pokrovsk front. Many of the reserve brigades that were there a month ago are now taking part in Ukraine's surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
One of the aims of the ZSU is believed to have been sabotage, to get Vladimir Putin to send troops from the Donbass to protect Russian soil. However, this did not happen and in this sense the operation of the Ukrainian military commanders failed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky himself admitted that the situation in Pokrovsk is difficult. Military analysts predict that it will even be catastrophic if Ukraine loses the city, because it will allow the Russian army to occupy the entire Donetsk region.
The battle for Pokrovsk, a town with a pre-war population of 60,000 – many of whom have now fled – it is actually a continuation of the battle for Avdeyevka, which ended with the Ukrainian retreat in February. Putin does not hesitate to sacrifice thousands of his soldiers and military equipment for the city of Pokrovsk. And there's good reason to do so – the city is located at a key junction of numerous railway lines. From a logistical point of view, it is very important for Ukrainian soldiers.
By capturing Pokrovsk, Russia can weaken Ukrainian defenses along the entire eastern front line – a critical prerequisite for a wider Russian offensive that could lead to the full occupation of Donetsk Oblast.
When the Ukrainian command, headed by gen. Alexander the Great chose to invade Kursk with thousands of soldiers and advanced equipment, many questioned why these forces were not sent to eastern Ukraine. One reading of the Ukrainian Kursk strategy is that the invasion was intended to withdraw Russian forces from the east, relieving pressure on Pokrovsk. In this sense, the invasion of Kursk may have been a diversion. If so, it failed.
The result, three weeks after Ukraine's invasion of Kursk Oblast, is that the Russian offensive in the east not only continues – she is gaining speed.
The six Ukrainian brigades defending Pokrovsk are outnumbered about two to one. Without help, they may have no choice but to surrender Pokrovsk — and soon.
Ukraine probably killed or wounded 100,000 Russians in the first six months of the year alone - and yet Russia continues to attack and continues to advance on Pokrovsk. No one knows exactly how many human losses will be “too much” for Putin to halt the offensive. There are currently no such views.