First invasion of Russia since World War II: Attack in Kursk advances 3 key objectives for Ukraine

According to Bloomberg, up to a thousand Ukrainian troops have entered Kursk Oblast. This is the first time since World War II that the troops of another country have entered Russia.

Bloomberg also reports that Putin summoned his subordinates to explain the situation recently. And Russian milbloggers accused the officials of incompetence.

The news agency also suggests that this situation is likely to reinforce Kyiv's argument that American and European allies should not be afraid of the Kremlin's threats of escalation but instead should allow Ukraine to fight in any way it can to speed up the end of the war.

Bloomberg believes that this episode has exposed the fragility of Russia's border defences, undermined the Kremlin's image of Putin as a protector of ordinary Russians and boosted Ukrainian morale.

Despite Kyiv not officially confirming its activities in the Kursk region, the fighting there indicates three main objectives of Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.

It is noted that in less than two days of fighting in the Kursk region, Russia has lost control of 350 square kilometers of its territory. Additionally, dozens of Russians are reportedly captured by Ukrainian forces.

Although Ukraine has not officially confirmed its control over the situation in the Kursk region, the fighting there indicates three key objectives of Ukraine.

The first is to divert Russian forces from offensive operations in Donetsk. Over the past week, Russia made significant advances in this direction and approached the village of New York. Since Russia has not achieved success in the Kharkiv direction, the Russian troops could redirect even more conscripts to Donetsk in the coming weeks. The Kursk offensive operation complicates this process.

The second is to sow discord within Russia. Since the beginning of 2023, Russia has resumed minor offensive actions in Ukraine, which is why so-called pro-Ukrainian Russian partisans have periodically conducted incursions into Russian territory and briefly occupied several border settlements in Belgorod. In March 2024, these operations expanded to Kursk. These actions aimed to undermine the increasingly fragile sense of security in Russia and show the Russian public that the war could come to them as well.

The third objective is to advance the negotiations on territorial exchanges during future talks. Leaks indicate that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly considered occupying Russian villages as a means to pressure Moscow. Specifically, discussions are underway about exchanging land plots between Kharkiv and Kursk. Although it is unclear whether Ukraine will be able to hold the villages in the Kursk region, the offensive has shown that breaching Russian territory is easier than destroying Russian fortifications in eastern Ukraine.

The assault on Kursk demonstrates that Russia has not learned lessons from the rapid capture of Rostov by Wagner forces during the June 2023 mutiny. Besides the anticipated threats to destroy Ukraine and the use of tactical nuclear weapons, Russia has not provided any significant response to the Kursk offensive.