On August 6, Russian territory was attacked by foreign forces for the first time since World War II. Ukraine had launched its counter-offensive and many experts suggested that the move could mark a turning point in the war.
Just over two months later, things are relatively quiet in Kursk. Neither party has made any major progress in recent days, reports say CNN.
– Over time, the Kursk operation has become normalized to a certain extent, says analyst Mark Galeotti at the British think tank Royal United Services Institute to the news channel.
According to experts, Ukraine wants to use its offensive as a “morale booster” in its own ranks, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is doing everything to play down the significance of what happened.
Some success for Russia
The American think tank ISW assesses that Ukraine conquered an area of roughly 76,000 hectares in Kursk.
ISW states at the same time that Russia had some military successes in Kursk. According to Russian information, Ukraine has been pushed back in several directions. However, Ukraine has not confirmed the information.
– There is credible information that Russia is advancing, but according to the information that is available, it is not about a total Ukrainian retreat from this area that was hijacked in August, says TV4 Nyheternas foreign reporter Johan Fredriksson, who reports from the city Lviv in Ukraine.
– A large part of the Kursk region is still controlled by Ukrainian troops, he continues.
Thousands of soldiers to the region
Recently, Russia sent an additional 40,000 troops to the region to push Ukraine back. According to the British think tank Royal United Services Institute, the crew consists of “what has been put together”.
– It can be compared to looking among the sofa cushions to find some change,” says Mark Galeott.
“The counterattacks of the Russians are judged to only reach the flanks of the Ukrainian forces,” a commander of a Ukrainian battalion inside Kursk told CNN.
– How this affects the war, and how it will go for the Russians to recapture the area is difficult to answer, says Johan Fredriksson.
– It may also be the case that Ukraine chooses to withdraw in orderly ways, he continues.