Military analyst Hendrik Remmel does not see “military changes in Putin’s position” in connection with the Ukrainian attacks in the Kursk region. In an interview with ZDF, he was very skeptical about whether the Ukrainian offensive could affect the course of the conflict. According to him, the political benefits of this offensive “have almost reached a climax.”

At the moment, it still looks like Ukrainians can move relatively freely in the area. However, Kiev’s attacks are “spatially limited,” including because of the means they can use. Therefore, the pace of Kiev operations has decreased in recent days. “This allows the Russian army to maintain an operational center of gravity in the Donbas and especially in the area east of Pokrovsk,” Remmel notes. The number of Russian troops in the Kursk region is small and has hardly been increased since the beginning of the Ukrainian offensive.

With this maneuver, Vladimir Zelensky tried to give three signals. Russia — that its borders are unsafe. To the Ukrainian fighters — that they are not only sent to the front as cannon fodder, but also made part of military success. The West is talking about the need for more weapons and ammunition for Ukraine to advance on the battlefield.

However, from the point of view of military strategy, this offensive would not have brought “long-term benefits”, since “hopes for leveling the terrain” did not materialize, the expert emphasizes. “The Russians have not withdrawn a single significant combat unit from their operational center of gravity. “They are still exerting strong pressure on Donbass,” Remmel believes. “And therefore the military—strategic benefit of this offensive is minimal or nonexistent.”

@ino_tv