Additional Coverage:
- After losing a chunk of Russian territory to Ukraine, Putin said it wasn’t that important anyway (newsbreak.com)
**Russian President Putin Downplays Ukrainian Seizure of Russian Territory**
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a forum in Vladivostok, aimed to minimize the significance of Ukraine’s recent capture of Russian territory, asserting that it doesn’t detract from Russia’s primary objective of advancing in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Putin addressed the issue following Ukraine’s unexpected incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk on August 6. This marked the first foreign incursion into Russia since World War II.
He claimed that Ukraine’s goal to disrupt Russian forces by attacking Kursk was unsuccessful. “The enemy’s goal was to make us nervous and worry and to transfer troops from one sector to another and to stop our offensive in key areas, primarily in the Donbas,” he said at the forum, as reported by Reuters.
“Did it work? No.”
Despite Ukrainian forces advancing deep into Russian territory and capturing hundreds of prisoners over an area spanning roughly 386 square miles, Putin contends this move only served to weaken Ukrainian positions in crucial areas. In contrast, Ukraine argues that it is Russia that has been compelled to redirect its best troops.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, noted that while Russia did send some units to defend Kursk, it mostly relied on volunteer forces. Analysts believe Ukraine might be leveraging the captured territory as a negotiation tool. However, the strategy to divert significant Russian forces from eastern Ukraine seems to have faltered, as Russia continues to advance, particularly towards the strategic town of Pokrovsk.
Will Kingston-Cox from the International Team for the Study of Security (ITSS) Verona, in comments to France 24, labeled the Kursk offensive as “strategically misguided” and more symbolic than impactful.
Despite these assessments, the ISW highlighted that the Kursk operation allowed Ukraine to regain the initiative after months of defensive actions, forcing Russia to make strategic decisions between expelling Ukrainian forces from Russian territory and making continued progress in eastern Ukraine. This incursion also delivered a blow to Putin’s image as a strong leader.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC News that the incursion is part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to win the war, affirming intentions to hold onto the captured territory.
For more in-depth coverage, read the original article on Business Insider.