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Ukrainian President Zelensky said on the 13th that the Ukrainian army's offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast is still continuing.

After a video call with Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Serski, Zelensky posted on social media that despite the difficult and fierce fighting, the Ukrainian army continued to advance in the Kursk region and Ukraine's "bargaining chips" were increasing. Serski informed Zelensky that as of the 12th, the Ukrainian army had controlled about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.

Some analysts say that Ukraine's plan to advance in the Kursk region is a "big gamble" that could overturn the war situation. If the Ukrainian army can hold the controlled area, it can pin down the Russian army, put Moscow in a passive position, and gain bargaining chips. However, once the Russian army drives the Ukrainian army out of Kursk and advances to eastern Ukraine, Russia will control more territory in eastern Ukraine.

▲On August 13, in Kursk Oblast, Russia, Russian armed helicopters attacked Ukrainian positions. Photo courtesy of Visual China

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 13th that Ukraine has lost 2,030 military personnel, 35 tanks and 31 armored personnel carriers in its operations in Kursk so far. Intelligence analysts predict that as Russia deploys troops to fight in the region, Ukraine will face the "toughest stage" since entering Russian territory.

A secret attack

Even the biggest sponsor is unaware

As Ukraine's largest "financial backer", US officials revealed that the US side did not receive any prior notice. Some analysts believe that this may be because Ukraine is worried that the US side will block the plan because the "risk factor" is too high, or it may be because Ukraine is concerned about confidentiality. The report said that not only the US side was unaware of the plan, but even the Ukrainian soldiers involved in the operation were unaware of the plan's goals in advance.

In fact, in mid-July, a drone battalion of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, which had been operating in the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, appeared in the Sumy region near the Russian-Ukrainian border. At the same time, some soldiers of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade and the 80th Air Assault Brigade, which were originally operating in Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine, also moved to the region. The above three brigades played a direct or indirect role in Ukraine's cross-border operation.

Artyom, deputy commander of one of the brigades, revealed that the Ukrainian side transferred some troops and heavy weapons to the Sumy area on the pretext of "training and receiving equipment." Another officer codenamed "Tykhyi" added that in order to avoid attracting attention, the Ukrainian troops were not wearing uniforms when entering the town.

However, some local residents also noticed that troops were gathering. "We thought they were going to repair something on the border," said Elena Sima, a resident of the Sumy region, which is only 8 kilometers away from the Russian-Ukrainian border.

▲The border crossing between Sumy and Russia was destroyed. Photo courtesy of Visual China

Former senior Russian military officer Andrei Gurulev revealed that about a month before the Ukrainian attack, the Russian military received a report that "troops had been spotted (near the border) and intelligence indicated that an attack would take place." However, this did not attract the attention of the Russian military.

Some analysts said that in fact, there have always been rumors that the Russian army will try to open a new front in Sumy, and the Ukrainian army sometimes divides a brigade into several small parts to enter the battlefield. In addition, the Ukrainian troops are indeed running out of ammunition. Under this circumstance, few people can imagine that Ukraine can enter Russian territory to launch a new offensive.

Even within the Ukrainian army, many soldiers were kept in the dark at first. "Tykhyi" said that some troops did not know their mission until the last minute before the operation. Artyom said that the commander of his brigade only summoned senior officers of the brigade on August 3 to announce the mission objectives on the side of a forest road.

Ukraine will face the "most difficult stage"

Russian officer: The situation is under control

Russia's Kursk Oblast Acting Governor Smirnov reported on the 14th that in the past 24 hours, the missile warning in the Kursk region lasted for more than 60 minutes, and the sirens sounded 5 times. Smirnov said: "Our air defense system reflected the attack of the Ukrainian armed forces. Four Ukrainian missiles were shot down."

▲On August 12, in Kursk Oblast, Russia, the Russian army attacked the Ukrainian army. Photo courtesy of ICphoto

Some analysts believe that Ukraine will not push deeper into Russia. Ukraine was able to enter Russia largely because the move was unexpected and Kursk had fewer fortifications. Once Russia reacts and mobilizes military resources to the border, Ukraine may find it difficult to hold on to the areas it already controls.

U.S. officials are also skeptical about whether Ukraine can hold the areas it has controlled. They believe that the Ukrainian army has now gained "new weaknesses" as it is already vulnerable.

On the 13th, Russian forces responded to Ukrainian forces with missiles, drones and air strikes. A senior Russian commander said these actions stopped the Ukrainian army's advance.

According to Russian media reports on the 13th, Apti Araudinov, deputy director of the Military and Political General Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces and commander of the Chechen "Ahmad" special forces, said that the Ukrainian army's attempt to advance has been stopped and "the situation is under control." He added that the Russian Ministry of Defense's troops have joined in and are destroying the opponent at a good pace, and the losses suffered by the Ukrainian army are probably the most they have ever suffered during the entire special military operation.

"Most of the first echelon of (Ukrainian troops) that entered the Kursk Oblast in Russia has been eliminated." Pasi Paroinen, an analyst at the Blackbird Group, a Finnish open source intelligence agency that focuses on monitoring the war, predicts that as Russia deploys troops to fight in the region, Ukraine will face the "toughest stage" since entering Russia.

Red Star News reporter Li Jinrui and intern Ye Ying compiled by Xinhua News Agency (reporter Bao Nuomin)

Editor Zhang Xun Editor Li Binbin