The Ukrainian offensive in Kursk will face a Russian response, according to US officials, which could come soon in the Ukraine war.
Moscow/Washington DC – The spontaneous counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army in the Russian border region of Kursk has hit the Kremlin with full force. It looks like Vladimir Putin’s military will soon move from the defensive to the offensive. According to US officials, Moscow is planning a severe retaliation.
Putin’s response to Kursk offensive: Russia probably mobilizes troops for Ukraine war
In an interview with the US news portal USAToday American officials stressed that Russia could be ready to pose a significant challenge to Ukrainian troops in about two weeks. According to them, Kremlin chief Putin is already mobilizing units to fight the Ukrainian army in Kursk.
Currently, the Russians do not yet have the necessary equipment and personnel to continue their own offensive in Donbass or to respond to the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kursk.
Moscow wants to expel Ukrainian army from Kursk: But Putin is in a dilemma in the Ukraine war
According to Seth Jones, a senior expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Russian ruler is currently in a dilemma. On the one hand, the slow response to the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk indicates a shortage of soldiers, Jones told USAToday.
On the other hand, however, he does not want to start a large-scale mobilization for fear of domestic political repercussions. He also does not want to withdraw troops from Ukraine on a large scale in order to send them to Kursk. According to reports from the region, Russia has already withdrawn soldiers from less active fronts in Ukraine and transported them to Kursk to protect the border region.
Putin downplays situation in Kursk in the middle of the Ukraine war: “The situation has evolved”
At any rate, Putin himself has not yet issued any harsh words or threats towards Ukraine: the Kremlin chief has so far played down the Ukrainian offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk – the largest attack on Russian territory since the Second World War – as a “development” of the conflict. However, experts expect Putin’s “revenge” later.
“The situation has evolved”: This is how Putin has so far described the surprise advance of the Ukrainian army. “That is his usual reaction in such situations,” explains Russian political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann, referring to the bad news for the Kremlin. “He disappears until the situation has calmed down and then acts as if everything is normal.”
The Russian army currently has few military options on its own territory. “Putin will not bomb the Kursk region like he bombed Bakhmut,” Stanovaya explains, referring to the city in eastern Ukraine that Russian troops occupied last spring after a long siege and heavy losses. The Ukrainian occupation of Kursk could therefore last “for months.” (bb/AFP)
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