Ukraine on the attack in the Russian Kursk region!
How come? A brief report and opinion from Italian journalist Vittorio Rangeloni and Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's Telegram post.
While we wait for the Axis of Resistance to respond to Israeli assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Fuad Shukr in Beirut, let’s switch our attention to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. You have probably heard about the incursion of Ukrainian forces into the Kursk oblast of the Russian Federation, see for instance this Reuters article; however, if you follow mainly the Western MSM, you are probably missing the reason why Ukraine has launched this attack, although there may be some hints, as in the aforementioned Reuters article. Simplicius The Thinker has dedicated most of his latest article (in the link below) to this Ukrainian operation, suggesting that it’s more of a diversionary tactic (to try and divert Russian forces from Donbass to Kursk, despite plenty of Russian reserves in this oblast) and a desperate attempt by Zelensky to catch attention from the West, as it focuses more on the ongoing and escalating Middle East crisis.
However, here is my English translation of a very interesting Telegram post (in Italian) of Vittorio Rangeloni, an Italian journalist who has been reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian war from Donbass since 2015, offering his report and opinion of what is going on in the Kursk oblast of the Russian Federation: (all formatting original)
Ukraine on the attack in the Russian Kursk region. How come?
This morning, the Ukrainian army attacked the Russian border in the Kursk region, in the Sudzha district. According to the Moscow Defence Ministry, around 300 Ukrainian soldiers were involved in this operation, supported by drones, 11 tanks and more than 20 combat vehicles.
Some of these vehicles were reportedly destroyed, but clashes in the Ukrainian-Russian border villages continued throughout the day. The situation still remains not entirely clear and the death toll among the civilian population is periodically updated.
But what is the point of this attack near Sudzha?
Ukraine has recently made official the arrival of the first F-16s received from NATO, the news was announced with great fanfare by Zelensky, who is grappling with a very difficult situation on the Donbass front and growing internal discontent. Planes remain a limited goal, however; Zelensky needs victories to distract public opinion from the problems. Several times he had engaged in this tactic, ordering Ukrainian flags to be planted (even if only for a few hours) in ghost villages on Russian territory, resulting in media victories (e.g. following the Bakhmut debacle). This time, however, considering the forces deployed by Kiev and the absence of any comment from the Ukrainian side, the intentions would seem to be different.
As the military expert Bezsonov speculates, the Ukrainian aim could be to threaten and sabotage the gas pipeline via Sudzha to Slovakia and Hungary (this gas also reaches Italy). As reported by Bloomberg - despite the conflict - the EU has not broken off negotiations for the supply of gas via the key Russia-Ukraine gas pipeline. Moreover, Kiev recently decided to shut off the taps of the oil pipeline that supplied fuel to Slovakia and Hungary from Russia via Ukraine, causing new friction with these countries. The military tensions around this infrastructure could serve Kiev as leverage in managing relations with EU countries. Or even, with the excuse of the fighting (perhaps commissioned by those who oppose any connection between Russia and EU countries), it could justify its destruction, which for obvious reasons it cannot do blatantly at home.
It cannot be ruled out that the meaning of this manoeuvre for Ukraine is to force Russia to transfer reserves and resources to the new front at Kursk, in order to strike shortly afterwards in other new directions, with even greater intensity.
Another (perhaps somewhat far-fetched) explanation for the Ukrainian offensive could be to target the Kursk (Kurchatovo) nuclear power plant, only 50 kilometres from Sudzha. This scenario may seem unrealistic, but for Kiev it could be one of the last cards to play and strengthen its position at an eventual negotiating table, perhaps to demand the Energodar plant in the Zaporozhye region in exchange. Again, to understand Kiev's real intentions, it is necessary to wait for the next steps.
And here is the English translation of Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's post on the same topic (and beyond) on her Telegram channel (all formatting original):
🎙 Commentary by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, M.V. Zakharova, on the situation around Ukraine
💬 The criminal regime in Kyiv continues to strike innocent residents of Russian towns and villages. Ukrainian neo-Nazis, failing in the war zone, commit bloody terrorist acts against the civilian population. <...>
▪️ On the night of 5-6 August, AFU fighters struck the settlement of Suja in the Kursk region. Five people were wounded, including three children, and several residential houses were damaged.
▪️ On 6 August, Ukrainian armed formations used a drone to attack a moving vehicle in the Graivoron municipal district of Belgorod Region. One civilian was killed.
▪️ On 6-7 August Ukrainian neo-Nazis carried out a massive terrorist attack on the Kursk region, using significant infantry forces and heavy armoured vehicles. Zelensky sent Ukrainian citizens into this meat grinder to quietly extend the deadly Ukrainian mobilisation for another 3 months. Today he signed the relevant law.
The Russian armed forces gave a decisive response to the enemy, which suffered significant losses. At the same time, 24 civilians of Kursk region, including 6 children, were reportedly wounded and injured as a result of shelling by Ukrainian militants. A drone strike on an ambulance killed a paramedic and the driver.
With their barbaric attack in the Kursk region, the Ukrobanderites tried to sow panic among the inhabitants of the region and demonstrate at least some semblance of activity against the background of the constant failures of the Ukrainian armed forces in the conflict zone. Obviously, even here the neo-Nazis' calculations failed.
❗️ All these bloody crimes are taking place against the background of the cynical silence of the West, which continues to cover up for its puppets in Kyiv. All this only strengthens the sense of impunity of the Ukrainian neo-Nazis, who are confident that they can get away with any atrocity. We call on the international community not to stand by and to resolutely condemn the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime. <...>
🔻 On 4 August, a pompous presentation of F-16 fighter jets handed over by NATO countries took place in Ukraine. Zelensky, who was present at the event, thanked the NATO sponsors for the delivery. <...>
This step is in line with the West's line of escalation of the Ukrainian crisis and does not contribute to the creation of conditions for its settlement by political and diplomatic methods. <...>
Deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to the AFU will not be the “magic pill” that Kiev is counting on. They will not be able to influence the situation in the combat zone and will be consistently destroyed by the Russian Armed Forces.
🔻 The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, K.Budanov, has reiterated plans to strike the Crimean bridge. According to him, appropriate "work" is being carried out to prepare for terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, earlier, on 17 June, the speaker of the Ukrainian Navy, D.Pletenchuk, admitted that the Crimean bridge no longer plays its former role for military logistics and is therefore not a military target. It is obvious that the main task of Kiev terrorists in their manic endeavour to destroy this civilian facility is to create panic among the peninsula's population and tourists. Recall that the Crimean Bridge is used for tourist purposes by millions of Russians, including families with children. <...>
👉 These facts once again confirm the relevance of the tasks of the special military operation to denazify and demilitarise Ukraine and eliminate threats emanating from its territory. All of them will definitely be fulfilled.
Interesting comments by the Italian. I'm reminded by other sources that the embargo on Russian energy is weakening. If Russian ISR did have the concentration of forces under observation as alluded to by several, why was such a deep thrust so successful? Was Putin really irate as some presume, or is it just a baseless presumption?
We will see what happens. Things are getting very interesting.