Risks losing negotiating and buffer zone • The lack of US intelligence affects
The situation of the Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk has deteriorated considerably in recent days, and now there is a risk that the remaining troops will be surrounded by Russian forces, Reuters reports.
– If Russia manages to expel the Ukrainian bandages from Kursk, it is a clear adversity for Ukraine, says former Lieutenant Colonel Jörgen Elfving.
This past week has been tough for Ukraine. The military support from the United States has been stopped, as are the US intelligence. At the same time, Russia has carried out extensive attacks against the country.
The US withdrawal of military support will not have an immediate impact on Ukraine’s combat ability, but it will be the lack of US intelligence. It says former Lieutenant Colonel Jörgen Elfving.
– It affects Ukraine’s opportunities to hit goals in depth, and it has an immediate effect, says former Lieutenant Colonel Jörgen Elfving to TV4 News.
Can be surrounded by the Russians
Russia has carried out extensive attacks against Ukraine in recent days. On Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that three villages were taken in the partially occupied course region of Ukraine.
Now there is a risk that the remaining Ukrainian troops in Kursk are being surrounded by Russian forces, Reuters reports.
– In principle, the entire maintenance path for the Ukrainian forces is under Russian influence with drones and artillery. If I interpret the different sources correctly, there is a risk that the Ukrainian forces will be surrounded if they do not move back in relative near time, says Jörgen Elfving.
What would a Russian surge mean for the Ukrainian troops found in Kursk?
– It will be a matter of trying to break through the Russian surge, and how to do it remains to be seen.
Negotiating and buffer zone
A Russian takeover of Kursk would be a clear adversity for Ukraine, which only since they took Kursk in the summer of 2024 saw the region as a negotiating panty.
– You would lose a negotiating mortgage and you also lose an area that acts as a buffer zone. This means that Russia can group artillery in Kursk to attack goals further into Ukraine, says Jörgen Elfving.
He does not consider that the fighting between Ukraine and Russia has significantly intensified.
– However, Russia has carried out extensive robotic and drone attacks against goals in Ukraine. It could be a way to exhaust the Ukrainian air defense – to have them run out of qualified robots they received from the United States in the first place, says Jörgen Elfving.