The Ukrainian military continues to face challenges from the Russian offensive, which continues unabated despite efforts to contain it. In recent weeks, attention has focused on the so-called Kursk operation, conceived as a strategic distraction to relieve pressure on Pokrovsk. However, as Forbes analyst David Ax points out, this plan did not yield the desired results and was a failure.
Forbes writes about this.
The operation in the Kursk region was aimed at diverting Russian forces from the Eastern Front, especially from the Pokrovsk area. The main idea was to force the Kremlin to transfer part of its forces from the Donetsk region to the defence of Kursk.
Ukrainian strategists believed that this would relieve pressure on Ukrainian defences in the east and create the preconditions for a successful counteroffensive. However, in practice everything turned out differently.
Instead of weakening Russia’s position in the east, the Kursk operation led to a worsening of the Ukrainian troop shortage in the region. While many reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred to the Kursk region, the Russian command chose a different path, gathering young and insufficiently trained conscripts for protection, which allowed it to maintain the main forces on the Eastern Front.
Three weeks after the invasion began, it became clear that the Russian offensive in the east was not only continuing but also intensifying. Ukrainian troops defending Pokrovsk were outnumbered, which created a threat of defeat and surrender of the city. David Ax in his article points out that without urgent reinforcements the situation could quickly deteriorate and the surrender of Pokrovsk would be just a matter of time.
Ukrainian leaders are faced with a difficult choice. Frontelligence Insight analysts believe that newly formed brigades can be used to stabilise the front line, or that forces will need to be redeployed from other regions, such as Kursk and Kharkov. As an alternative, battalions are proposed to be moved from more stable fronts.
The optimal scenario assumes that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will find an opportunity to strengthen the defense near Pokrovsk. If this is successful, Ukrainian troops will be able to wear down Russian units, gradually undermining their combat effectiveness. However, this takes time and it is not yet clear when exactly Russian losses will reach critical levels to stop their advance. In any case, the stakes are high and every decision will be decisive for the future of the war.
Earlier, Kursor wrote that the Ukrainian Armed Forces probably drove the Russians into a cauldron in the Kursk region.
About three thousand Russian soldiers could be surrounded.
