Evgeny Krutikov, military analyst for the military-linked Vzglyad publication, argued in an Aug. 8 article that the Ukrainian strategy in Kursk is a good one in the short term, but will cost them dearly in the long term. The article is reviewed in English by a Russian blogger who goes by the handle “Yalensis,” who reports that Krutikov cites Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Office of the Ukrainian President, announcing on Aug. 8 that Ukraine had invaded the border areas of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, for the purpose of “improving its negotiating position.” His opinion is that loss of Russian lives, equipment, and territory, will have a positive impact on future negotiations.
Krutikov reports that Ukrainian forces did not stop to occupy Sudzha but rather passed through on their way to other places. He names Korenevo, Rylsk, Lgov and Kurchatov – “the last-named raising much consternation, since it is the site of the Kursk Atomic Energy Plant,” he says. “Videos showed how Ukrainian columns drove along main roads, each column defended by anti-air and radio-electronic devices which managed to jam Russian drone groups, aviation, and communications among units. Nevertheless, these columns were subject to the brute force of Russian aviation, and were destroyed.”
