【Marking Time】Black Army Retaliates Tooth for Tooth, Cross-border Attack on Kursk

After two and a half years of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has been on the offensive in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine recently, making some progress. However, at this time, a Ukrainian force suddenly crossed the border on August 6 and attacked the border area of Kursk Oblast in Russia.

According to Russian media reports, in the early hours of Tuesday, August 6, thousands of Ukrainian troops, supported by a large number of drones and heavy artillery firepower, led the way with tanks and armored vehicles, swiftly breaking through the Russia-Ukraine border and invading the Sujah area of Kursk Oblast. This is the largest-scale attack by the Ukrainian military on Russian territory since Russia invaded Ukraine two and a half years ago.

The Ukrainian forces advanced 20 kilometers into Russian territory in just two days, occupying a 350-square-kilometer area near the Russian border town of Sujah. This area is the last transit point for Russian natural gas exports to Europe through Ukraine, only 60 kilometers northeast of the Kursk nuclear power plant. Kursk Oblast declared a state of emergency on the night of the 7th.

Russian President Putin was shocked by the events and called an emergency meeting of the Federal Security Council on the 7th to discuss the situation in Kursk Oblast and issues related to providing assistance to the region. Russian forces are still in intense battles with the Ukrainian forces, and Russia had to call up reserve soldiers for reinforcements. The local Russian ground forces are fragile, and even the Chechen TikTok army sent to bolster the defense showed no will to fight and ran faster than anyone.

Considering the practical circumstances, including supplies and the lack of air superiority, I believe that this Ukrainian operation is likely still a raid, albeit one that has caused a bigger commotion and inflicted more losses on the Russian forces, prompting the mobilization of Russian reserves and easing the pressure on the Ukrainian front line. At the same time, Kyiv intends to use this large-scale raid to boost morale and determination to continue the fight.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Syrsky believes that Russia has recently gained local advantages on the battlefield, but these are tactical victories and do not have a significant strategic impact. Currently, the Ukrainian army faces some difficulties in terms of manpower. Recently, Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. Syrsky stated that without mobilization, he could not establish a new reserve.

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