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Source: China News Service WeChat

On the 14th local time, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced thatThe Russian army repelled six rounds of attacks by the Ukrainian army in the border area of ​​Kursk Oblast.The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes on the reserve forces of the Ukrainian army in several settlements in Sumy Oblast. In the past day, the Russian army killed and wounded 270 Ukrainian military personnel, captured 18 Ukrainian soldiers, and destroyed 2 tanks, 1 armored personnel carrier and 13 other types of armored vehicles.

On the same day, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that he had listened to a report from Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Sersky on the Ukrainian army's actions in all major directions of the front.Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army made further progress in the Kursk region, advancing one to two kilometers in different directions that day, and also captured more than 100 Russian soldiers.He also said that the strength of the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk region would be strengthened.

Zelensky listened to Serski's report on the Ukrainian army's operations in all main directions of the front

About 12,000 Ukrainian soldiers entered Russia's Kursk region

According to Cailian News Agency, citing the Russian Satellite News Agency, Major General Apti Alaudinov, Deputy Director of the Military and Political Work Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense and Commander of the "Akhmat" Special Forces, said:About 12,000 Ukrainian soldiers entered the Kursk region, including a large number of foreign soldiers, most of whom have been wiped out.

The Ukrainian army launched an attack on Russia's Kursk Oblast on August 6, followed by fierce conflict between the two sides in the state.

Houses attacked and caught fire in Kursk Oblast

Russia says it will evacuate civilians, Ukraine says it has no intention of occupying

Russia and Ukraine have different accounts of the war in Kursk Oblast.

According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian troops prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing further in several villages in Kursk Oblast, 26 to 28 kilometers from the border.Russian officials said about 121,000 Russian civilians had been evacuated.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the 13th:Ukraine has "no interest" in occupying Kursk Oblast, and its offensive operations are aimed at protecting its own people.According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Russia has launched attacks on Ukraine from Kursk Oblast in recent months using artillery, missiles, drones and other weapons.

On the same day, Myhaylo Podolak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, said that the raid on Kursk Oblast was one of Ukraine's military means to force Russia to engage in peace talks. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also stated that "the sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace... the sooner the Ukrainian army's raid on Russia will end."

China News Service compiled from CCTV News Client, Cailian Press, etc.

Further reading

The Battle of Kursk: a turning point or a last-ditch effort?

A week has passed since the Ukrainian army crossed the border and invaded Russia, and the offensive in Kursk is still going on. Although the Russian army claims that it has curbed the Ukrainian army's offensive, it has to be admitted that Russia was caught off guard. Is the Battle of Kursk a risky "go-for-all" by Ukraine, or a new turning point in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine?

The action footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense (video screenshot)

The plot was rewritten

Invasion of Russian mainland, first since World War II, nuclear power plant... Kursk successfully shifted the focus of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield from Kharkiv. Ukraine's cross-border offensive on the 6th caught almost everyone by surprise. Especially for Russia, at that moment, it must have wondered who gave Ukraine the courage. The scope of "special military operations" is being expanded by Ukraine and is no longer limited to Ukraine. The plot of this war has been rewritten.

This is how it happened. The evolution of war is often not determined by human will. Kursk, located in the southwest of Russia on the border with Ukraine, was once a famous battle site in the eyes of history enthusiasts. As the site of the largest tank battle in history on the Eastern Front of the European battlefield in World War II, it was regarded as a turning point in the Soviet counterattack. Now, after more than two years of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the main Ukrainian forces have entered and controlled about 1,000 square kilometers of territory for the first time.

Small Injury, Big Insult

"Drive the Ukrainian troops out of Russian territory", Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement did not give Ukraine any chance in the war of public opinion. Three days after the Ukrainian troops entered, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced that it would implement an anti-terrorist action system in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions from that day on. Russia is trying to reduce the impact of the war and emphasize that this is not a full-scale conflict.

This qualitative statement shows that Moscow still wants to firmly grasp the initiative of "special military operations" and is full of confidence in controlling the situation in Kursk. Yuan Xun, assistant researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Global Governance and Regional Countries of Shanghai International Studies University, said that Russia intends to weaken this war. From the current observation, the overall investment scale is not very large. The total number of troops deployed by Ukraine is only about 15,000 people, and they have to fight deep into the Russian mainland. The deployment of this force is obviously far from enough, and the harm caused and the strategic results gained are relatively not particularly large. So for Russia, it can be said that "the harm is not great, but the insult is strong."

"Return to peace talks"?

"Return to peace talks". Regarding the purpose of this battle, both Russia and Ukraine pointed to the negotiation table. Putin said at the beginning that the attack on Kursk Oblast was Ukraine's attempt to gain more bargaining chips for negotiations. Ukrainian President Zelensky's statement on the 13th was more direct: "The Ukrainian army is still advancing in Kursk, and Ukraine's "bargaining chips" are increasing."

Zelensky said that despite the difficult and fierce fighting, the Ukrainian army continued to advance in the Kursk region, and Ukraine's "bargaining chips" were increasing (data map)

This year, the two sides have sent negotiation signals many times, but in the end they all ended in failure. Yuan Xun believes that Ukraine's attack on Kursk is first to adjust tactics to resolve the passivity on the main battlefield, such as the pressure in the northern Sumy direction and the southern battlefield. At the same time, Ukraine wants to use this to put pressure on Russia and make some future tactical tests. From another perspective, it reflects Ukraine's determination in the war. Before each peace talk in the past, Russia would have a more active offensive posture on the battlefield, thus putting Ukraine in a passive position. Ukraine's actions this time may give it more bargaining chips in the future negotiations, thereby prompting the negotiations to shift in a substantive direction.

Insufficient exposure

Moscow prefers to describe this war as a strategic adventure of the Ukrainian army. As long as the Ukrainian army's offensive is frustrated and a quick victory cannot be achieved, the Russian army will quickly seize the initiative. After all, the Ukrainian army's manpower is extremely limited, which both sides know well.

Russia used missiles to destroy the Ukrainian military command post (screenshot of the video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense)

Russia quickly used weapons such as the Iskander missile, which directly tested the Ukrainian army's ability to withstand pressure. Yuan Xun said that Russia's use of weapons exposed the insufficiency of Russia's standing forces and the emptiness of border defense. Under the premise of investing a large number of troops on the Ukrainian front, this operation also shows the serious insufficiency of Russia's domestic troop deployment. Russia and Ukraine have a long border, and the main supply routes and major stronghold cities on the border are not only in the direction of Kursk. Border cities such as Bilgorod and Bryansk are facing similar threats. According to reports, after the Ukrainian army entered Kursk, Belgorod Oblast has begun to evacuate residents.

Will it expand?

At present, the battle of Kursk has not stopped. Whether the battle of Kursk will expand may depend on Ukraine's further investment and the Russian army's ability to adjust.

Yuan Xun believes that neither Russia nor Ukraine currently has the ability to expand the war. First of all, Ukraine is deeply mired in the war, and there is a large gap between its financial resources and military strength and Russia. Russia will not allow Ukraine to expand or advance on Russian territory, and Russia will never tolerate Ukraine doing so. From an international perspective, whether it is NATO or the United States, they do not want the war to continue to expand in the direction of Russia's homeland. The world also hopes that this war can be stopped and that Russia and Ukraine can be pushed to the negotiating table. In the future, Ukraine's achievements in the war may become an opportunity for the world to further push Ukraine and Russia back to the negotiating table.