A huge gamble
Ukrainian army chief Silsky said Ukrainian troops have occupied 1,150 square kilometers of Russian territory and control 82 villages and towns. On Monday, the occupied area was only 1,000 square kilometers.
But Reuters said that as Ukrainian forces plan to hold the occupied land and Russia gradually regains its strength, the risks are also increasing.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Zagorodniuk said in an interview that one of Ukraine's goals in Kursk is to distract Russian troops from focusing on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have been steadily advancing for months and trying to fully control the region. However, there is no sign that this is happening.
Polish military analyst Muzyka said that Ukraine's attack has dealt a reputational blow to Putin. This is the largest invasion of Russia since World War II. It has destroyed Russian troops, captured soldiers who can be exchanged, and created an intractable problem on the Russian flank.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not immediately responded to a request for comment. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense referred questions to the armed forces, which did not immediately respond.
Russian officials have called the Ukrainian attack on Russian territory a "terrorist invasion," and Putin said Russia would respond "appropriately" to the attack, but the priority is to expel all Ukrainian troops from Russian territory.
Ukraine has not said how long it might stay there, and this week a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Ukraine had "no intention" of permanently occupying Russian land. Putin said Ukraine wanted the territory as leverage in future peace talks.
Muzyka was more cautious, warning that trying to seize large swaths of Russian land could cost Ukrainian forces potentially heavy losses, pointing to human resource issues that have plagued Ukraine for months as it faces a much larger adversary!
Muzyka said the counteroffensive was a "huge gamble." Despite short-term gains, "the costs of the attack on the Kursk region will likely soon outweigh the benefits, especially given the pace of Russia's ongoing advance in the Donetsk region."
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