Ukraine could use its control over territories in Russia's Kursk region to facilitate desertions from Russian forces. That's according to Doug Livermore, senior vice president of solutions development at CenCore Group and deputy commander of the special operations unit of the North Carolina Army National Guard's Joint Special Operations Command.
Points of attention
- The Kursk operation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine contributes to withdrawing Russian forces from Donbas and weakening the successful offensive of the Russian Federation in the east.
- Ukraine can use its control over territories in the Kursk region to facilitate desertions from Russian forces and expand information operations against the occupiers.
- The ability to hold the Kursk region is crucial for Ukraine in dealing with the weakening Russian army and increasing political and military risk for Moscow.
- Ukraine's successful counteroffensive in Kurshchyna demonstrates the Armed Forces of Ukraine's ability to halt the advance of Russian troops and maintain control over the territory.
- The Kursk operation not only undermines Russian military power but also contributes to psychological warfare and information operations against the occupiers.
Three ways for Ukraine to use the Kursk operation of the Defense Forces
The Ukraine Defense Forces' Kursk operation has been ongoing for six weeks now, and despite criticism in its early stages, there are signs that it is succeeding, as it is having at least some impact on Ukraine's most important goal — to draw Russian forces out of the Donbass and thus weaken Russia's successful offensive in the east .
According to Livermore, the operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region not only directly affect the battlefield, undermining Russian military power, but also act as psychological warfare.
The realization that Russian forces are unable to ensure the security of their territory contributed to the growth of discontent. About 150,000 Russian civilians left the region, leaving behind a vacuum that Ukraine has begun to fill by establishing administrative control over several cities. These actions signal Ukraine's intention to maintain a long-term presence in Kursk.
The analyst also predicted how Ukraine could use the operation in the Kursk region to weaken the Russian army.
Ukraine could expand information operations by more aggressively broadcasting information to Russian-controlled territories, highlighting the failures of the Russian military and Ukraine's humanitarian efforts in the occupied regions. This could sow even more discord among the Russian population.
Ukraine could use its control over certain territories to facilitate desertion from Russian forces. The surrender of hundreds of Russian soldiers indicates a level of disillusionment that Ukraine could exploit with promises of safety and humane treatment, and it could accelerate the weakening of Russian military morale.
Ukraine's ability to continue delivering precision strikes deep into Russian territory while defending captured areas will be critical.
Maintaining pressure on Russian supply lines, key military infrastructure and command centers will further stretch Russian forces, making it difficult for the Kremlin to launch successful counteroffensives in the coming months. The longer Ukraine can hold the Kursk region, the greater the political and military risk for Moscow, concludes the expert.
The counteroffensive of the Russian Federation in Kurshchyna was stopped — the commandant's office
Defense forces of Ukraine stopped the offensive of Russian troops in the Kursk region. Part of its territory remains under the control of Ukrainian forces.
In the Kursk region, Russian troops sought to attack the positions of the units of the Armed Forces from the flanks. However, the attempts of the occupiers were stopped.
This was announced on September 18 by the representative of the commandant's office of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi.
Dmytroshkivskyi noted that the situation has now stabilized and is currently under the control of the Armed Forces. Despite this, the enemy still achieved partial success.
