Putin prioritizes Donbas over Kursk Oblast, says Ukrainian journalist
Russia is now more focused on seizing Donbas than on reclaiming Kursk Oblast territories, Serhiy Harmash, Editor-in-Chief in Ukrainian publication Ostriv, told Radio NV on Aug. 21.
He highlighted the importance of this occupied territories [Donetsk Oblast - ed.] for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and explained the political motives behind the decision.
"Ukraine is not annexing Kursk Oblast. The territory we seize will be localized, we will localize it ourselves by blowing up bridges,” he said.
“The Russian forces, while retreating, also blow up bridges. That is, it can be a long-term, but small gain that serves more political goals than military ones.”
Should Russia capture Donbas, Putin can claim that his goals have been achieved and that he is ready to negotiate for peace, thus, blaming Ukraine for continuing the war and appealing to the West with this "serious argument against us," because Kyiv will look like a party that wants war.
Putin thinks that he will have time to deal with the Kursk Oblast problem later, but Donbas is a strategically important target, a goal, so to speak.
Therefore, regardless of whether Ukraine launched a Kursk offensive or not, I think that the [Russian] offensive in Donbas would be very intensive in any case. I don't know what resources were allocated from Donbas to Kursk, it's hard to estimate, but I think that one is not related to the other.”
Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast
The ongoing operation by the Defense forces in Kursk Oblast was first confirmed by Ukrainian President on Aug. 12. He stressed that the goal of the operation is to free the border areas of Ukraine from regular Russian military shelling.
82 settlements in Kursk Oblast are now under Ukrainian control, covering 1,150 square kilometers, including the city of Sudzha, AFU Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on Aug. 15.
Eduard Moskalyov was appointed head of the first military commandant’s office in the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Kursk Oblast on the same day.
The Ukrainian forces have managed to capture about 2,000 Russian soldiers in Russia as of Aug. 15, The Independent wrote.
The Ukrainian troops had advanced another 1–3 kilometers, Syrskyi reported on Aug. 16.
The occupiers have transferred up to 5,000 soldiers to Kursk Oblast, while about 20,000 will be needed for a counteroffensive, The Wall Street Journal wrote.
Ukrainian forces control over 1,250 square kilometers in Kursk Oblast and 92 settlements in Russian territory, Zelenskyy said on Aug. 19.
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