A Ukrainian tank near the Russian border on August 11 (Reuters)
According to the Wall Street Journal, the dilemma facing the Ukrainian leadership is whether trying to achieve further gains in Russia's Kursk region is worth sending more troops and military equipment to the region, away from the eastern front where Kiev's forces are struggling to contain the Russian advance.
The joint report between journalists James Marson and Daniel Michaels says that despite the rapid deployment of Ukrainian forces in Russian territory, the Russian forces are superior in terms of strength and numbers, and fierce battles are taking place in the Kursk region, in what is considered the largest Ukrainian armed incursion since the beginning of the war, and the Ukrainian forces have advanced. More than 30 kilometers within the Russian border.
John Nagel - a retired colonel in the US Army - says, "The Ukrainians would like to draw the world's attention with this attack" (Al Jazeera)
The commander of a Ukrainian battalion on the eastern front said that they urgently need at least a thousand soldiers. He expressed his frustration and helplessness in the face of Russian pressure, and pointed out that the Ukrainian army’s strategy was not clear to him, according to the report.
It is difficult to measure the extent of the success of the military operation, especially given the Ukrainian side’s secrecy about the main goal of the operation, but Russia’s failure to respond to the attack quickly caused embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin and angered Russian patriots, after clips spread showing Ukrainian soldiers raising their flag in Russian cities.
It is important to point out, according to the report, the role of the American elections, as the level of support that Ukraine may receive under new American leadership is not yet certain, and Ukraine wanted with this secret attack - which the United States did not know about - to prove its worth.
John Nagel - a retired colonel in the US Army and professor of warfare at the Army War College - said, "The Ukrainians would like to draw the world's attention with this attack, and send a message to the United States that they are still capable of fighting."
Putin accused the West of being behind the Ukraine incursion during a video conference with defense and security leaders yesterday, Monday. The United States said in response that it had not received any advance warning of the attack and was still trying to understand its goals, and called on Ukraine to avoid further strikes inside Russia.
According to an American assessment cited in the report, one of the reasons for the attack was to disrupt Russian supply lines to the northern front in Kharkiv, where Russia had penetrated last May. Ukraine is exploiting its current positions behind the border to send reconnaissance teams to uncover the weak points of the Russian side and strengthen its artillery systems. To strike deep into Russian territory.
