It has now been more than a week since Ukraine launched its “counter-invasion” in the Russian region of Kursk. So far, it must be described as very successful – not least in view of today’s confirmation that Ukrainian forces have taken full control of the Russian city of Sudzha in the Kursk region.
So far, there have been no reports of serious Russian counterattacks, further fueling speculation that the Russian military leadership has been caught off guard by the Ukrainian push.
In both the Kursk region and the neighboring Belgorod region, a state of emergency has been declared and up to 150,000 civilians have had to flee their homes.
This naturally comes as a shock, primarily to those directly affected.
But even Russians in general will now naturally ask why the military and political leadership are unable to repel the biggest invasion of Russian territory since Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941.
President Vladimir Putin has lost face in front of the open curtain and now has to somehow pressure his military to fight back and take back the areas it lost.
Great triumph for Zelenskyi
For the Ukrainian military and political leadership, this is a correspondingly great success, regardless of whether they are eventually forced to retreat back across the border. The Ukrainian military has demonstrated that it is capable of conducting a complex offensive operation with the coordination of armored, infantry and artillery units. They have chosen a part of the common border where the Russian defense facilities are not as developed as further south. In addition, the Ukrainians have succeeded in keeping the gathering of forces and the advance of the assault units hidden from the opponent.
If Ukraine then manages to beat back Russian counterattacks and continue to dominate this part of southwestern Russia, it could be a pledge to use in any future peace negotiations.
That Ukraine can take and hold territory inside Russia in this way is in any case a great triumph for President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his generals.