Russia had been planning to launch a new front in Ukraine from the Kursk Oblast before Kyiv’s incursion into the region, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi told CNN.
In August 2024, Ukrainian forces stormed into Kursk Oblast, which signaled that, despite Russia’s advantage in personnel and equipment, its military has vulnerabilities.
“It reduced the threat of an enemy offensive. We prevented them from acting. We moved the fighting to the enemy’s territory so that (the enemy) could feel what we feel every day,” Syrskyi said.
The key objectives behind the Kursk operation were to prevent Russia from using the region as a launchpad for a new offensive, divert Moscow’s forces from another part of the front lines, create a security zone, and stop Russian shelling of border settlements.
His claims came amid a Russian offensive on the Pokrovsk front, considered to be the hottest spot of the war. Syrskyi told CNN that despite the assaults, Ukrainian troops have now managed to stall the Russian advances there.
“Over the last six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk direction. In other words, our strategy is working,” he explained.
In addition, Syrskyi said that the amount of artillery shelling and their intensity have decreased lately.
However, Ukraine still faces challenges during the battles as Russia has significantly more weapons compared to Kyiv troops.
“The enemy does have an advantage in aviation, in missiles, in artillery, in the amount of ammunition they use, of course, in personnel, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles,” Syrskyi added.
Due to the halt of military equipment, Ukrainian soldiers are heading to the battlefield after receiving less training than he’d like them to. As a result, some operations are failing.
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- NYT: Ukraine to fly only about 10 F-16s, at most, on combat missions this year
