Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk Oblast. “A big blow to Russia’s image, but there will be no shock”

Expert says there will be no shock in Russia

An expert from the Clingendael Institute also expressed the opinion that one should not expect that Ukraine’s offensive in the Kursk Oblast will be able to strongly shake Russian society and the political situation in Russia. – In Russia, society reacts and treats political events differently than in Ukraine – she said. In her opinion, Ukrainian society is very engaged and closely follows what is happening in the country and in the world, while “in Russia the population is anti-political.” – So far, the Russian authorities have somehow managed to explain everything. How it will turn out this time will depend on the continuation of the offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces and their entry into Russia, she noted.

A Ukrainian soldier hangs the Ukrainian flag in the border town of Gujevo in Kursk Oblast, photo published on August 11

Donbas_Operativnyi via Telegram/via REUTERS

Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk Oblast

On Tuesday, August 6, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an offensive on the territory of Kursk Oblast, which borders Ukraine to the south. This is the first such operation carried out by the Ukrainians since the beginning of the war. Until now, small attacks on Russian territory have been carried out by formations of Russian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine (Russian Freedom Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, Siberian Battalion). Up to four Ukrainian brigades will take part in the operation, which lasted ten days and covered approximately 1,150 km.² territory of Russia, penetrate 35 km into the Kursk Oblast and occupy several dozen cities, including the border town of Suja.

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On Thursday, information emerged that Ukrainians had established their own military headquarters in the Ukrainian-occupied part of Kursk Oblast. During the operations in Kursk Oblast so far, Ukrainians are said to have taken about 2,000 Russian soldiers prisoner. On August 15, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrski, stated that 82 settlements in Kursk Oblast were under the control of the Ukrainian army.

On Friday, August 16, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, Alexei Smirnov, announced that Ukrainian troops had destroyed the bridge over the Sejm River in the Głusko district. According to Russian sources, HIMARS missiles were used to destroy the crossing, which were used to supply soldiers and evacuate residents.