Kursk incursion a bold and audacious move that shows Ukraine’s potential

Marco Levytsky, Editorial Writer.

It was a bold, audacious move that surprised the world – and Russia more than anyone else. In the early hours of August 6, units of the Ukrainian army, backed by light armour and helicopters, sprinted across the border into Russia’s Kursk Oblast. At first, many thought this was simply a raid into enemy territory. But Ukraine’s Armed Forces fooled everybody. Meeting little resistance at first, they continued their advance, and by August 16, they had captured between 800 and 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory, including some sections of the Belgorod Region. In addition, hundreds of Russian soldiers have already surrendered. The biggest capture happened on August 14 when 102 Russian soldiers gave up because of a successful operation by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) Special Operations Center “A” unit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russian soldiers to surrender. “All of them will be treated humanely. They did not even receive such treatment in their own Russian army,” he said. The Ukrainian government has even initiated an “I Want To Live” campaign, which receives up to 100 surrender inquiries a day from Russian troops seeking a safe way to surrender to Ukrainian forces.

Claimed extent of Ukrainian advance into Russia

This daring act had several objectives.

First, it was a diversionary measure designed to pull Russian troops away from Ukraine so they could defend their own territory. Here, they have had some limited success. Russia is withdrawing some of its troops from Ukraine, but it is still unclear how many. Politico Europe reported that an official in Kyiv said this was a “relatively small” number. Nevertheless, this action clearly demonstrated the weaknesses that exists along the Russian borders and Moscow will eventually be forced to address this deficiency.

Second, it was intended as a bargaining tool in any future negotiations. Ukraine’s Armed Forces have entrenched themselves and erected defensive lines to hold off any Russian counter-offensives. On August 17, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported to President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine’s Armed Forces had strengthened and stabilized their position.

Third, it was intended to bring the war home to Russians and to undermine the Kremlin’s reputation, propaganda and information policy among the Russian population. Aside from those soldiers who have been thrust into the meat grinder that the ongoing war in Ukraine has become, for most Russians the war is just something they follow on their falsified television news. As of August 15, over 130,000 Russians have been evacuated from the border regions. This is the first time a foreign force has invaded Russia since the Second World War.

As Peter Dickinson, editor of the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert service, points out: “In psychological terms, bringing the war home to Russia has allowed Ukraine to strike a powerful blow against enemy morale. The Ukrainian army’s advances in Kursk Oblast are spreading panic throughout the surrounding region and undermining Putin’s efforts to prevent the invasion of Ukraine from disrupting the daily lives of ordinary Russians. On the home front, Ukraine’s surprise summer offensive has given Ukrainian society a desperately needed morale boost, reviving hopes that the war-weary nation can still achieve meaningful military success.”

Fourth, it was intended to embarrass Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. It has shattered the illusion of Putin being the strongman who can guarantee Russian security. It also exposed the hollowness of his continuous sabre-rattling and nuclear bluffs. This may end up having serious repercussions for his stranglehold on power.

Fifth, it was to demonstrate to all the naysayers in the West that Ukraine has the ability, skill, competence and courage to take on the Russian war machine, provided it has the weapons to do so. “Ukraine will probably continue to look for weak points along the front line. Russia will now invest more in fortifying the Russian-Ukrainian border,” says a leading analyst on Europe and Russia, Andreas Umland. “The Ukrainian attack has strategic significance in deconstructing the seemingly static front-line development and force constellation of the war for Russia and the world. Kyiv will also continue to try to use various means to make it clear that the course and end of the war is unpredictable, and that the assumption of unquestionable Russian superiority is misleading,” he adds.

It remains incomprehensible why Ukraine still has to beg cap-in-hand for the arms it needs to defend itself properly. It is also incomprehensible why Ukraine’s allies still impose conditions upon Ukraine when it comes to any action directed against Russia itself. Especially when considering the leeway given to other Western allies in their conflicts. Ukraine has been painstakingly avoiding harming civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure, concentrating instead on strategic military targets and facilities that feed Russia’s war machine. And never has there been such a stark contrast between aggressor and defender. Between those who abide by strict rules of warfare and those who commit every imaginable crime against humanity. Between right and wrong. Between good and evil.

This also demonstrates to the world that Ukraine can fight back, has the fervent will to win this war and drive the enemy from its territory, and is time to stop this incremental nickel-and-dime approach to military aid. It’s time to give Ukraine everything to make this world safe for democracy.

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