Ukraine War, Day 905

ISW: Russian defenses at Kursk in complete disarray

The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) estimated in a recent review that Russia’s defense of Kursk is in serious trouble due to leadership ambiguity and overlap.

According to ISW, the Kremlin has given the same tasks to the army and the security service FSB, so it is not yet clear who is actually leading the defense.

– ISW writes that the anti-terrorist operations of the Coordination Committee of the Ministry of Defense and the FSB could exacerbate confusion over who is responsible for what in the defense of Kursk and increase friction between the FSB and the Russian Armed Forces.

The think tank believes that the inadequate command structure was a major disadvantage for Russian troops in Kursk.

Russian Army’s Giatsint-S dock gun fires at Ukrainian positions. Illustration image. EPA/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/EPA/AOP report

Lukashenko pardons political prisoners

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko According to Reuters and other reports, 30 political prisoners have been pardoned

Belarus’ exiled opposition welcomed the amnesty and said it would mean the release of some seriously ill prisoners.

According to state news agency Belta, 14 women and 16 men have been released from prison. According to Reuters, none of Lukashenko’s most prominent critics are on the list to be published.

Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus since 1994 and was elected president for the sixth time in August 2020.

The fake election results sparked outrage in Belarus, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to protest the vote. However, Lukashenko’s security apparatus violently suppressed the demonstrations, with around 1,400 people sent to prison.

Ukraine destroys a key Russian bridge in Kursk

Ukraine successfully hit an important Russian bridge using a Himas rocket launcher in the Kursk region Moscow Times.

According to a Russian war blog, the destruction of the Seym River bridge cut off Russian-controlled areas from areas where Ukrainian troops were advancing.

Photos of the destroyed bridge were shared on X by a Wall Street Journal reporter and others. Yaroslav Trofimov.

According to independent Russian media reports, the Russian army used the bridge to transport weapons and equipment to the troops in the Glushkovo area of ​​the Kursk region. story.

Convicted of treason for donating $50

Russia sentences Russian-American woman to 12 years in prison information British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Live in Los Angeles and get US citizenship in 2021 Ksenia Karelinna Sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason in Yekaterinburg, Karenina traveled to Russia to visit her family and her elderly grandmother.

After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Karelina donated about $50 to a humanitarian organization that helps victims of the war. Russia has accused Karelina of treason, and according to the security service FSB, the Ukrainian army used Karelina’s donations to “purchase tactical medicines, equipment, weapons and ammunition.” Tell The Washington Post.

According to the newspaper, U.S. authorities have warned of a sharp increase in so-called hostage diplomacy, a phenomenon that involves arresting foreign citizens in order to use the detainees as political leverage or in prisoner swaps.

Russia is mobilizing its troops

U.S. officials believe Russia has moved thousands of troops from territory it seized from Ukraine to bolster Kursk’s defenses. information CNN.

– A U.S. Security Council spokesman said: “It is obvious to us that Putin and the Russian military have moved resources, including some troops, to the Kursk region, apparently in response to what the Ukrainians have done.” John Kirby told CNN on Thursday.

However, Kirby said the troop transfer does not mean Putin has given up military operations in the northeastern or southeastern regions of Ukraine. According to CNN sources, at least so far, Russia has not transferred trained troops from Ukraine, and untrained conscripts transferred to Kursk from other parts of Russia seem to be responsible for Kursk’s defense.

Russia is believed to have hundreds of thousands of troops in the Ukrainian war zone, so moving a few thousand to Kursk is unlikely to have a significant impact on the overall situation, especially in the near future, according to U.S. officials.