During Tuesday, Ukrainian forces advanced between one and three kilometers further into Russian territory and took control of a total of 74 towns. This is stated by the Ukrainian commander-in-chief in a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has so far been tight-lipped about the purpose of the operation. Now they say it’s purely self-defense.
Have trained soldiers on site
Major Roger Djupsjö has trained Ukrainian soldiers on site and believes that Ukraine has the opportunity to move the front line into Russia and create a kind of “buffer zone”.
– It is important in several ways. Part of this is to get more leverage on the Ukrainian side by showing that you have the ability to go into Russia and carry out an operation like this. The war has been waged in Ukraine and the Ukrainian population has suffered during this war. Now they want to show that they have the opportunity to move this war in and let the Russian population suffer from it too, he says.
The colleagues along the front line knew nothing
According to the American think tank Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian army has conquered an area measuring eight hundred square kilometers and which in some places extends over three miles into Russia. But there is no intention to keep the conquered territories.
– They are happy and proud to have succeeded in this. It is safe to say that this was very surprising for Russia. They have really managed to keep quiet about carrying out this offensive. I have colleagues who are on the front lines, just a few miles from this place where the breakthrough happened, and they had no idea this was going to happen. They were also surprised and that’s how it should work. It impresses me, says Roger Djupsjö.
Surprised by the offensive
Over 120,000 Russian civilians have been evacuated in the Kursk and Belgorod regions due to the Ukrainian offensive. President Putin has said the attackers must be pushed back across the border and accuses Ukraine of destroying future peace talks.
Major Roger Djupsjö himself is surprised that Ukraine has managed to keep quiet about the offensive.
– It is difficult to hide such large units that are to gather and carry out an offensive like this without it being discovered. Today, you have drones and satellites that see very small things down on the ground. It has been shown earlier in the war that when you have gathered for an offensive, you have usually been shot back already during the gathering stage, he says.
Could what has been won here become a bargaining chip in a future peace process?
– It is entirely possible. Now it is up to Ukraine to maintain this as well. It is foolish for Russia to allow Ukraine to carry this out without having stopped it. Only there, Putin and his leadership have lost a little in reputation. It can be a bargaining chip and it can also improve the negotiating situation for Ukraine.