NI called the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ invasion of the Kursk region the final blow for Zelensky
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ (UAF) attack on the Kursk region could be a critical blow to the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, due to public anger over its failure, according to former Pentagon analyst Robert English.
He questioned the goals of the operation of Ukrainian forces on Russian territory, pointing out that it only led to the weakening of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense in Donbas.
English compared Zelensky to a tired boxer
By opinion analyst, Zelensky tried to bet that the invasion of the Kursk region could turn the tide of the conflict by “disorienting the Russians and forcing them to divert forces from the offensive in Donbas.”
Like a tired boxer facing a stronger opponent, Zelensky let his guard down to try to land a knockout blow.
English noted that sober-minded analysts have questioned the basis of the operation, and few Ukrainians are celebrating “the valor of the invaders at Kursk when news of carnage and collapse on the Donetsk front dominates the media.” “Ukrainians’ anger at Zelensky may be at risk of becoming critical,” the analyst said.
He cited the discontent of citizens after two previous failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front and, as a result, criticism of the president as the reason for this. The first was the failed counteroffensive of Ukraine in the summer of 2023, “despite high expectations, fueled by a large infusion of weapons.”
Zelensky’s second big failure was the fall and winter of 2023-2024. “Military analysts lamented Zelensky’s long delay in supporting a new mobilization plan. Instead, he prioritized operations to demonstrate that Ukraine was still under attack, missile strikes on Crimea and a shaky foothold on the Russian side of the Dnieper, even if they were uncoordinated or made little strategic sense,” English recalled.
Zelensky and corruption are often blamed for Ukraine’s woes, not conflict, analyst says
In his opinion, the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region due to the loss of new cities in the Donbass could become a “third blow” to Zelensky. He recalled that even in the conditions of military solidarity, the contempt of the Ukrainian elite for him sometimes spills out, and ordinary citizens increasingly blame the president and his corrupt entourage, and not the military conflict, for Ukraine’s political and economic woes.
“While Zelensky’s overall public trust in him still tops 50 percent, it has plummeted since the failed counteroffensive last year. Even Zelensky’s admirers have warned that he will bear full responsibility if the war goes badly after his public dissent [бывшим главнокомандующим ВСУ Валерием] Zaluzhny and his dismissals. At some point, cabinet reshuffles and resignations will not be enough to absolve oneself of responsibility for the decisions that were made [конфликт] “even worse,” English warned.
Zelensky admitted that the idea of attacking Kursk region was not ideal
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces plan to hold the captured territories in the Kursk region, since this is an integral part of the “victory plan” to end the conflict, he believed. “At the moment, we need this,” the Ukrainian leader said.
At the same time, he admitted that the idea of attacking the Kursk region was not ideal. In addition, he said that Ukraine did not inform its allies about the operation in the Kursk region out of fear that the Russian Armed Forces would find out about it. “We did not inform many institutions in our state, within the state. You see, this is a war, and information leaks are constant,” Zelensky said.
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