Officials: Russia Pulls Troops From Ukraine to Reinforce Kursk Region
Russia's military command has withdrawn forces from Ukraine to reinforce the defense of the Russian border region of Kursk, the scene of last week's surprise Ukrainian assault, according to Ukrainian and US officials....
Facts
- Russia's military command has withdrawn forces from Ukraine to reinforce the defense of the Russian border region of Kursk, the scene of last week's surprise Ukrainian assault, according to Ukrainian and US officials.[1][2]
- 'Russia has relocated some of its units from both Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine's south,' Dmytro Lykhoviy, a Ukrainian army spokesman, told Politico. A US official speaking to the Wall Street Journal gave a similar account, without providing more information.[1][2]
- Meanwhile, during a meeting with Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Lithuania's defense minister, said that his country had observed Russian troops relocating to Kursk from Kaliningrad — a Russian enclave between Lithuania and Poland.[3]
- Later in the day, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's top military commander, claimed that the number of Russian settlements under Ukrainian control in the Kursk region was now up to 74. The figure contrasts with that provided by a Russian official a day earlier who said 28 towns and villages were under Ukrainian control.[4]
- According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US military think tank that tracks troop positions in the war, it said that it observed Ukrainian troops in 41 settlements, though added this was not intended as a refutation of the figure provided by Ukrainian officials.[5]
- Nonetheless, ISW concluded that Ukraine likely does not fully control the territories to the maximalist extent they have claimed.[5]
Sources: [1]POLITICO, [2]Wsj, [3]Ukrainska Pravda (a), [4]Ukrainska Pravda (b) and [5]Understandingwar.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. After Kyiv's previous counteroffensive failed to gain momentum, and while the country has struggled to hold back Russia's larger occupying force, this bold and daring assault from Ukraine has shattered the myth of Russian invincibility and strengthens their hand in future peace negotiations.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Rather than strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position, this assault into Russian territory has now put the prospect of any peace negotiations on hold. After a series of attacks on civilians, Russians are now more determined than ever to deal Ukraine the military defeat they deserve.
