Russia integrates more troops to stop Ukrainian troops
2024-08-22
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
On the 20th local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov (second from right) visited the Russian Special Forces University. (Visual China)
●Xiao Xinxin, our special correspondent in Russia●Liu YupengOn the 20th local time, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the formation of three armies, namely "Kursk", "Belgorod" and "Bryansk". Russian military experts believe that this shows that Russia will deploy more powerful regular professional forces to deal with the Ukrainian offensive. The New York Times published an article on the 21st saying that two weeks after Ukraine's "sudden invasion" of Russia, the latter's army has slowed down the enemy's advance, and Russia's increasingly solid front in Kursk State has laid the foundation for the next stage of the battle. For both sides, this battle has great political interests. The international community is also paying close attention to how Kiev's Kursk offensive will affect its defense line in eastern Ukraine. Reuters said on the 21st that the Russian army is approaching the key transportation hub Pokrovsk, only 10 kilometers away from the suburbs. At the same time, the Russian side said on the 21st that its air defense system repelled "one of the largest drone attack attempts" against Moscow. The expansion of the battlefield of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the intervention of Western countries have caused deep concern from the outside world. Russia Today TV said on the 21st that Italian Deputy Prime Minister Salvini warned that weapons provided by Western countries to Ukraine for attacking targets in Russia could trigger a world war. According to AFP, Indian Prime Minister Modi said on the 21st that he hoped the region would "restore peace and stability as soon as possible." He arrived in Poland that day and will visit Ukraine this Friday.Russia's "ideal response plan"According to Russian News Agency, Russian Defense Minister Belousov said at a meeting of the Border Region Military Security Coordination Committee on the 20th that the three armies of "Kursk", "Belgorod" and "Bryansk" will be responsible for protecting the land and people in these three regions. The local governors of the three regions have established direct contact with the commanders of the three armies and the leaders of the Russian Ministry of Defense around the clock.Russian military expert Drozdenko said that in the past, Russia's border areas in Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk were mainly guarded by Russian border guards. Russia's "Viewpoint" quoted military expert Rozin's analysis that the border guards could not withstand the attack of the enemy's large mechanized corps. The newly established army group is likely to be fully staffed, and will be composed of mechanized tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, motorized infantry and armored forces capable of taking active offensive actions. Russia needs to establish the necessary force advantage in the border area. This can not only launch a larger-scale attack, but also support local operations. In addition, it needs to be equipped with a large number of drones to contain enemy activities.According to a report by Russia's Lenta.net on the 21st, Russian military expert Koshkin believes that in the face of new threats constantly created by the Ukrainian army, this is an "ideal response plan" and Russia needs a more comprehensive and three-dimensional countermeasure. The three new armies may effectively cover their respective defense zones while improving each other's mobility and coordination.Russia's "news.ru" news website quoted a military expert on the 20th as saying that the formation of the new army will enhance the overall combat capability of the Russian army, and a large number of contract soldiers may join. Each army has its own area of responsibility, which includes not only Russian territory but also Ukrainian territory. The Russian army will conduct reconnaissance in these areas, destroy or repel Ukrainian artillery shells, drones and offensive forces that have penetrated into Russian territory.Regarding the Russian side's formation of a new army, Ukraine's "ukr.net" news website said that some analysts believe that this move shows that Russia was "caught off guard" in the face of the Ukrainian offensive. The new army needs to be run-in and adapted, and may not be able to play a role quickly and effectively resist the Ukrainian offensive in the short term. RBC-Ukrainian News Agency analyzed that the Ukrainian army is currently advancing from five directions in Kursk Oblast.However, according to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the deputy director of the Military and Political Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Alaudinov, said on the 21st that some Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Kursk Oblast and may be redeployed in other directions. He said: "The enemy was blocked and suffered heavy losses." According to the news released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the 21st, the Ukrainian army lost 300 people, 26 tanks and armored vehicles in the province in the past day. Since launching the offensive in the direction of Kursk Oblast, the Ukrainian army has lost more than 4,400 people and 65 tanks, 316 armored vehicles and other weapons and equipment.Putin visits Chechnya after 13 yearsAs Ukraine invaded Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited three federal entities of Russia. According to Sputnik, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov welcomed Putin at Grozny Airport on the evening of the 20th. Putin met informally with Kadyrov's mother in Chechnya and presented her with a bouquet of flowers. He also visited the Russian Special Forces University. Kadyrov wrote on the social platform: "Since the launch of the special military operation, more than 47,000 soldiers, including volunteers, have been trained here. Each volunteer is equipped with modern, high-quality equipment. The instructors are all winners of international special forces competitions."The Associated Press reported on the 21st that Putin "unexpectedly" visited Chechnya for the first time in nearly 13 years. The last visit was in December 2011 when he was the Russian Prime Minister. According to Reuters, Putin told the soldiers at the Russian Special Forces University: "As long as we have you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible."Earlier on the 20th, Putin visited Russia's other two North Caucasus regions - the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the North Ossetia-Alania Republic. Reuters said that Putin visited the city of Beslan in the North Ossetia-Alania Republic for the first time in at least 16 years. Sputnik said that he visited the "City of Angels" memorial, where 266 of the victims of the 2004 terrorist attack on the No. 1 Middle School in Beslan were buried. The incident killed a total of 334 people. The scene showed Putin kneeling on his knees and laying flowers at the monument to the victims. On the same day, he also laid flowers at the monument at the former site of the Beslan School Gymnasium and communicated with the mothers of the victims of the terrorist attack. Reuters quoted Putin as saying, "Just as we fight terrorists, today we must fight those who committed crimes in the Kursk region and the Donbass region."Russian media including the tsargrad.tv news network and the Viewpoint said on the 21st that analysts believe that Putin's inspection on the 20th showed his attention to the North Caucasus region, which will help further enhance the stability, unity and cohesion of the local situation.Moscow hit by massive drone attackAccording to the Ukrainian newspaper "Kiev Independent" on the 20th, Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a video speech that night that he had listened to the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sersky, that the Ukrainian army's defense situation in Pokrovsk, Toretsk and other directions in the Donetsk region was very difficult. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on the 21st that 166 battles took place in the frontline area in the past day. The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 21st that the Russian army had controlled the village of Zelannoye in the Donetsk region.Reuters commented that after a "frustrating" year, Ukraine's invasion of Kursk boosted the country's morale, but withdrawing some of the most effective combat troops from the defense line in eastern Ukraine was "a gamble." The Financial Times reported on the 20th that the Ukrainian army withdrew as many as 10,000 soldiers from the front line in the eastern region, including elite airborne assault troops. Reuters quoted Ukrainian veteran Mandel as saying that the invasion of Kursk was a dangerous action and "all they did was a show."The New York Times published an article on the 21st saying that so far, Russia's response measures have mainly focused on curbing the invasion rather than reversing the situation. The invasion of Kursk Oblast exposed the Russian army's intelligence errors and its lack of combat reserve forces. But in Moscow's view, Kiev's strategy has also created opportunities for it, causing Ukraine's limited military forces to be consumed at an accelerated rate.The report believes that the fighting in the Russian border area is still in its initial stages, and Ukraine may still deploy new large-scale forces or launch another "raid" to subvert the military and political calculations of the war. But the current progress of the war gives Russian leaders time to adjust their response. Analyst Kashin said, "If Ukraine hopes that the impact of the attack will make Russians lose confidence in the prospects of war, then this is impossible. The more likely result is to arouse anger and accept the fact that war is inevitable."Ukraine is also launching a large-scale drone attack on Russia. According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 21st that from the evening of the 20th to the early morning of the same day, the Russian army shot down 45 drones launched by the Ukrainian army towards Russian territory, including 11, 23 and 2 drones shot down over Moscow, Bryansk and Kursk regions respectively. According to AFP, according to Moscow Mayor Sobyanin, this was "one of the largest drone attack attempts" against Moscow.On the 21st, the newspaper "Viewpoint" quoted the views of Russian military expert Leonkov, saying that due to the lack of progress on the combat contact line, the Ukrainian army tried to show its capabilities to the West through drone attacks and asked for long-range artillery shells. He believes that Kiev is likely to intend to destroy the civilian and military infrastructure in the Russian capital area, and the targets may include oil bases, railway hubs, military facilities and factories.The Ukrainian Air Force announced on the 21st that from the evening of the 20th to the early morning of the same day, the Russian army launched 69 drones and 3 missiles at Ukraine, and the Ukrainian air defense force shot down 50 drones and one missile. ▲
