Слава Україні
Свобода знаходить шлях
FAFO, dick head - now get your ass outa my yard.
Ukraine appears to expand incursion into Russia, in a morale boost for Kyiv
Ukraine appears to expand incursion into Russia, in a morale boost for Kyiv
Kyiv’s forces claimed to have reached a village inside of Russia’s Belgorod, as the Kremlin announced a “counterterrorism operation” in the area.
KYIV — Ukraine’s surprise invasion of Russia seemed to stretch to a second border region, with Kyiv’s forces claiming to have reached a village inside of Belgorod as the Kremlin announced a “counterterrorism operation” in the area — a sign of Moscow’s growing insecurity five days after Ukrainian troops launched the cross-border offensive.
Ukrainian forces have continued to push deeper into Russia, further signaling this operation wasn’t a short raid but rather a potential occupation. The move that has turned the tables of this war on Moscow, which invaded Ukraine more than two years ago.
Though Ukrainian officials have repeatedly declined to comment on the assault, their soldiers fighting in Russia have started posting more videos and photos to social media that purport to show them in Kursk and Belgorod. Several mechanized and assault units appear to be part of the offensive, meaning Kyiv has probably pulled thousands of soldiers off the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces had been gaining ground.
Whatever the ultimate purpose of Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, it has succeeded as a narrative-shifting morale boost for Kyiv. Instead of lamenting Russia’s advances on the eastern front every day, Ukrainians are eagerly monitoring — and snickering — at the news of their troops pushing deeper and deeper into Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine’s Sumy.
Analysts have said Ukraine’s military could be trying to divert Russian forces from other parts of the front line in eastern Ukraine. But Ukraine then also risks pulling more of its soldiers away from the tense defense there, and the quantity of reserves Russia uses to counter the assault on its territory may not outweigh the Ukrainian force committed. And if Ukraine indeed intends to hold and occupy this Russian territory for an extended period, that will also require a significant number of troops to stay put.
Though Kyiv’s ramped-up mobilization campaign has conscripted tens of thousands of men per month this summer, not all of those reinforcements have reached the battlefield, as they still have to complete training.
Ukrainian officials have said bringing the war to Russia and making its civilians experience the same displacement and bombardment that Ukrainians have for the past two years will place pressure on President Vladimir Putin and better Kyiv’s position in future negotiations to end the war.
In the latest show of Ukraine’s confidence, soldiers from Ukraine’s 252nd Territorial Defense Battalion recorded a video, shared on Saturday, standing outside of a building identified as the village club in Poroz — a settlement in Russia’s Belgorod region less than two miles from the border. The Washington Post could not immediately verify the video’s authenticity or when it was taken.
That would stretch Ukraine’s forces into a second Russian region after the initial offensive had been contained to just Kursk. Some Russian military analysts and pro-war bloggers claimed the video could be an orchestrated diversionary tactic to confuse Russian forces.
As Russian officials have claimed that the Ukrainian advance has been halted, Moscow also announced a “counterterrorism operation” on Saturday for three regions along Ukraine’s border. That entails heightened security, such as the ability to forcibly resettle civilians, document and vehicle checks and call monitoring. Authorities can also restrict internet access and limit communications in areas.
No comments:
Post a Comment