There are rumors in Russian media about possible criminal investigations against generals who did not prevent the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk.
Moscow – The Russian news portal Vesta reports, citing sources in the government and parliament, that proceedings may be initiated against various persons responsible for the events near Kursk. According to Kiev, these events resulted in Moscow losing control over an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers and 82 settlements. The potential proceedings are directed against representatives of the military, security forces and civil authorities who are held responsible for this situation.
According to Kyiv-Post One of the sources explained that when the news of the Ukrainian advance to Kursk became known, the reaction of officials was one of apathy. They did not consider the threat to be serious. This assessment was confirmed the next day by the press conference of the Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. On live television, he downplayed the significance of the events, claiming that the Ukrainian advance had been stopped and the “enemy defeated.”
Kursk: Chief of General Staff reportedly received Kyiv’s plans weeks earlier
The German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, said that the Ukrainian advance into the Russian region of Kursk with ground troops had made Russia nervous. It was a nasty surprise for the border guards, the secret service, the military, the civil defense and also the population that the Ukrainian troops were able to pull off such an action.
According to a report by Bloomberg Gerasimov had received intelligence information about Kiev’s plans weeks earlier, but ignored it and did not inform Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the situation in Kursk worsened, so did Gerasimov’s position. Although he has been Chief of the General Staff for 14 years, he was excluded from the operational planning meetings on the defense of the Kursk region, which took place on August 15 under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
While Gerasimov was previously considered untouchable, Russian sources now see him as being in serious danger. Another serious setback could give Putin a pretext to continue the “purge” in the Russian Defense Ministry, which had already begun with the dismissal of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The campaign to arrest generals and high-ranking Defense Ministry officials accused of corruption, which began in May, is being carried out by the Russian government, according to government sources cited by the Moscow Times either with the consent or even on the direct orders of the Kremlin.
Kursk Offensive: Selenskyj wants to massively weaken Russian armed forces
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the offensive by Ukrainian troops in the western Russian region of Kursk is also about a lasting weakening of the enemy army. Russia’s losses are “very useful” for the defense of Ukraine, he said in his evening video address. “It is about destroying the logistics of the Russian army and using up its reserves,” Zelensky explained. “We must inflict maximum damage on all Russian positions, and that is what we are doing.”
The WashingtonPost reported on another advance by Ukraine into Russian territory, namely in the direction of Belgorod. However, Russian units there were already on standby following the events in the Kursk region, and the Ukrainian attack had already become bogged down in the border area. (jal with dpa)
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