According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the offensive operation of the Ukrainian military in Kurshchyna is completely legal, although the Alliance was not warned about these plans by the leadership of Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The offensive operation of the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region is recognized as legal by NATO under international law.
- The primary goal of the Defense Forces of Ukraine is to create a buffer zone to protect against Russian attacks and shelling of Ukrainian territory.
- The Kursk operation has shocked the military-political leadership and occupying forces of the Russian Federation, with Ukraine surprising Russia by capturing numerous towns and villages in the region.
- President Zelensky emphasized that the operation aims to create a buffer zone preventing further Russian attacks, despite the risks associated.
- The success of the Kursk operation will impact the future course of the war and peace negotiations, showcasing Ukraine's ability to stand strong and offensive against Russian aggression.
What NATO says about Ukraine's right to conduct an offensive on the territory of the Russian Federation
According to the journalists of the publication, in an interview with the German weekly Welt am Sonntag, Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine has the right to self-defense in accordance with international law.
According to him, this right is not limited exclusively to the borders of the Ukrainian territory.
At the same time, Stoltenberg noted that such an offensive operation is risky for Ukraine, but Kyiv will independently decide on its own further actions.
President Zelensky made it clear that the operation is aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent further Russian attacks across the border. Like all military operations, it is associated with risks. But this is Ukraine's decision on how to defend itself, Stoltenberg stressed.
One of the goals of the Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation is to create a buffer zone to prevent shelling of the territory of Ukraine from the border territory of the Russian Federation, because the Western partners refuse to give Kyiv permission to hit military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation with long-range weapons provided by the West.
How the Kursk operation shocked the military-political leadership and the occupying army of the Russian Federation
In the article of The Wall Street Journal, it is noted that the plan of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky regarding the offensive in Kurshchyna surprised the leadership of the aggressor country and the occupying forces of the Russian Federation.
It is noted that at the end of July, Syrsky gathered Ukrainian officers and, during a secret meeting, announced a daring plan to revive the country's military efforts, which had weakened.
Then he said that "the Ukrainian military should switch roles with the Russian occupiers."
One of those present, the chief of staff of the 61st Mechanized Brigade, said his first reaction was shock.
The military and political leadership of the Russian Federation was stunned when the Ukrainian military overcame weak border defenses and quickly captured about 100 towns and villages in the Kursk region.
We dispelled the myth that Russia is an invincible country. We did what no one had done for 80 years, - explains Lieutenant Colonel Artem Kholodkevich.
The invasion turned the narrative of the war on its head, putting Ukraine back on the offensive. But the success of the operation will ultimately be determined by whether it leads to lasting gains or greater losses on the battlefield, whether it yields political dividends or whether it strengthens Ukraine's position in any future peace negotiations.
So far, after 4 weeks of offensive, the Ukrainian military has managed to block about 2 thousand Russian invaders in the area of the Seim River, and the attempts of other parts of the criminal army of the Russian Federation to help them have failed.
Russia withdrew several thousand troops from Ukraine in response to the invasion, but stepped up attacks on its main target, Pokrovsk.
The operation is also a bold move for President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who has been caught between the slow but relentless advance of Russia, which wants to take control of Ukraine, and the West's reluctance to provide enough weapons to reverse Russian gains.
Ukraine is now taking advantage of Russia's reluctance to strike deeper in the rear, creating what Zelenskyy called a buffer zone to thwart Russian military operations against Ukraine.
According to Syrskyi on Tuesday, Russia has a total of 30,000 troops in the area to counter the offensive, some of those forces transferred from Ukraine.
Nevertheless, Syrskyi said that Russia is not transferring troops from the Pokrovsky front to Kursk, as Ukraine had hoped, but it is also not strengthening its presence there.
