After 72 hours, Moscow has failed to stop Ukraine from invading Russia

Ministry of National Defense Russia Point out The Northern Group’s forces, together with the Federal Security Service (FSB), “They continue to destroy Armed Forces Ukraine Located in the Sudzhensky and Korenevsky districts of the Kursk region, close to the Russian and Ukrainian borders.

Moscow on Tuesday accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the border into the Kursk regionsaying the attackers launched a “large-scale attack” and tried to break through their defenses. However, after ensuring they repelled the intrusion, the reality was different.

Likewise, the extent of the attack, including whether Ukrainian forces captured any settlements or caused damage to any strategic targets, remains unclear.

CNN Geolocation Image The video shows a car speeding through the deserted and damaged streets of Souza, a city 10 kilometers from the border. In the video you can also see some destroyed vehicles, and the car is heading north away from the city. It is not clear whether the video was recorded on Wednesday or Thursday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that “the attempt by individual units was thwarted” (Ukrainians) penetrated deeply in the direction of Kursk.”

He said the Ukrainians “lost up to 400 servicemen and 32 armored vehicles, including one tank, four armored personnel carriers, three infantry fighting vehicles and 24 Kozak armored fighting vehicles.”

The ministry’s claims could not be verified. Ukraine has not officially confirmed that its troops have launched ground operations inside Russia. Neither the Ukrainian Army nor the Kiev government commented on the operation.

Mick Ryan, blogger Future Doctrine Ukraine’s military deployed “excellent formations,” analysts of the war in Ukraine said Thursday, August 8. It appears that unlike the 2023 southern counteroffensive, which saw new brigades deployed, Ukraine allocated formations for this operation. So far, Ukraine’s depth of penetration appears to have paid off.

The US-based conflict monitoring group the Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment on Thursday that On Wednesday, “Ukrainian troops confirmed an advance of up to ten kilometers in the Kursk region.”

But according to newspaper reports The Economist, Since the operation began on the morning of August 6, Russia will lose complete control of at least 350 square kilometers of its territory.

By August 8, Ukrainian troops had advanced to Sudja, 10 km from the border, and Korenevo, 15 km from Russian territory. Fierce fighting continued in both areas.

Reports said smaller Ukrainian units had broken away and were fighting to push further inland. Images circulated on social networks showed the aftermath of the fighting: destroyed buildings and dead soldiers strewn on potholed roads. Videos posted on the first day showed a large group of Russian prisoners being forcibly taken away under armed guard.

Much remains unclear, particularly the scale of the operation. On August 7, Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, claimed that around 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been detained.

Ukraine has sent troops from at least four elite brigades, meaning the strike force is likely much greater. It has also mined the main road southeast to Belgorod and has a significant air defense system in the area. Given its successful launch, Although Ukraine’s southern Donetsk province is weakly defended, it is likely to bring in more reserves.

Even by the murky standards of war, the attack on Kursk is shrouded in secrecy. Western governments have been surprised. A Ukrainian General Staff source near the border admits he does not know the full story.

Ukraine was reassured by the early success of the operation, which he said had paralyzed Russia, according to one intelligence source. Russia is now using elite soldiers to stop the advancehe added.

Ukraine, on the other hand, is taking action only where it makes sense. “The Russians are making very stupid mistakes and it’s all due to their corrupt management from top to bottom, which prioritizes good news over facts,” said the source, who the newspaper did not identify.

After the setbacks in Kiev, the Kharkov region, and Kherson, the raid on Kursk Represents the Russian generals’ “fourth great defeat” in mechanized and mobile warfare. “Now we have a choice and the Russians know it,” the Ukrainian source said.

Previous cross-border raids were mostly carried out by Ukrainian military intelligence, but this time the operation was more closely linked to Ukraine’s new, much-criticized commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, and involved regular army troops for the first time.

Reports from Ukrainian frontline hospitals indicate that casualties are already rising. One may still wonder whether it is wise to commit so many troops to a raid when key front lines are weak. The answer will depend on the success of the operation.

Broader strategic objectives may also be at play. The immediate target is the Suza gas terminal, the only operational entry point for Russian gas to Europe on the Progress pipeline. But it is unclear what control Ukraine can exercise over the station. Both Ukraine and Russia have an interest in its continued uninterrupted operation, given the transmission fees paid to Ukraine and the financial difficulties Gazprom faces under the pressure of Western sanctions.

Pro-war Russian social media suggested that Ukraine intended to occupy the Kursk nuclear power plant, 60 kilometers from the border, as a retaliatory measure against Russia’s occupation of its Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

Ukrainian General Staff source suggested The Economist That is unlikely, as it would require an advance of 80 kilometers from the border and a much larger force. “Without properly organized forces, they will repeat the mistakes the Russians made north of Kiev in 2022. We cut them off and they became easy prey,” he said.

A more feasible goal might be to create an embarrassing “buffer zone” at the bordersimilar to the one Russia has been trying to build in nearby Kharkiv over the past three months. It could even serve as a bargaining chip in some future negotiations.

“Russia tried to prepare a strong position, but now they are finished because they cannot protect their territory,” the intelligence source said.