The operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Russia’s Kursk region, which have been underway for six weeks, are beginning to show their effectiveness, despite initial criticism.
According to Doug Livermore, senior vice president of solutions engineering at CenCore Group and deputy commander of the North Carolina Army National Guard’s Special Operations Detachment, these actions help Ukraine achieve its critical goal of pushing Russian forces away from the Donbass and weakening their offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Livermore wrote about this in an article for CEPA.
The expert stresses that the operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region not only cause direct damage to the Russian military infrastructure, but also have a significant psychological effect. Livermore notes that the inability of Russian troops to ensure the security of their own territory is causing growing discontent among the population.
An example of this is the mass exodus of approximately 150,000 civilians from the region, which allowed Ukraine to establish administrative control over several towns. These actions demonstrate Ukraine’s desire to gain a long-term foothold in Kursk.
In addition, Livermore predicts that Ukraine could strengthen its information operations by actively transmitting information to Russian territories about the failures of the Russian military and Ukrainian humanitarian initiatives in the occupied zones. This could increase internal divisions in Russian society and undermine support for the war.
The analyst also notes that control over parts of the Kursk region could become an important tool for promoting desertion among the Russian military. He notes that the capitulations of Russian soldiers demonstrate a level of frustration within their ranks that Ukraine could exploit. The promise of security and humane treatment could further weaken the morale of Russian troops.
The final important aspect, according to Livermore, is Ukraine’s ability to continue surgical strikes against key targets on Russian territory while simultaneously defending captured areas. Maintaining pressure on Russian supply lines and military facilities will make it much more difficult for Russian forces to launch counteroffensives and will increase political and military risks for Moscow. The longer Ukraine maintains control over parts of the Kursk region, the more serious the consequences for Russia will be, Livermore sums up.
Earlier, Kursor reported that the Russian military failed to recapture the Kursk region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russia’s attempts to regain control of the territories occupied by Ukrainian troops were stopped by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
