The military success of the incursion undertaken by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region remains in question. Russia is withdrawing its units from other areas of the front at a slower pace than the Ukrainian command would like.
“The minimum goal is to withdraw Russian troops from Kharkiv and Donbas. But currently, Russia is transferring troops from the Kharkiv front, but has transferred much less from Donbas so far,” notes The Economist.
An anonymous interlocutor in the Ukrainian General Staff noted: “They are transferring forces, but not as quickly as they would like. They know we cannot stretch logistics for 80-100 kilometers.”
In turn, ISW analysts assume that the Russian command is resisting pressure to transfer units from other directions to the Kursk region. However, the Russians may sacrifice the offensive in the Kharkiv direction to avoid the transfer of units from higher priority areas of the front. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are participating in the operation in Kursk.
The offensive is aimed at destabilizing Russia by demonstrating its weaknesses. According to President Zelenskyy, Ukraine controls 1,000 square kilometers of newly captured territory.