Here's the thing about Ukraine's invasion of the Kursk region.
Ukraine has turned these battles into war of movement (as Peter Zaihan called it), which Ukraine is superior at.
RuZZia can't fight a war of movement, so instead it's in their best interest to continue fighting a grinding war of attrition.
This can be seen by their continued advances on the eastern front in the Donbas. RuZZia is sacrificing hundreds of troops per day in an effort to capture the next prize, which is the city of Pokrovsk:
There are indications that Ukraine has withdrawn some forces along this direction and is staging a tactical withdrawal. Although Pokrovsk is a major logistical hub for Ukraine, it seems Ukrainian high command has decided it's not worth defending at all costs, so they're simply going to make RuZZia pay for it with the maximum amount of losses while minimizing their own.
It's a smart yet risky strategy, I believe. If Ukraine continues biting off chunks of RuZZian territory, it will look worse for PooTin than if they hold the line in the east.
Moreover, Ukraine is already using their Kursk offensive to launch multiple drone strikes at RuZZian oil refineries, oil depots, and airfields. RuZZian air defenses in Kursk are already strained. They can't support their border guards AND defend their economic infrastructure at the same time.
Get ready for more drone attacks on Moscow, especially with Ukraine's newest hybrid missile-drone:
Ukraine's new Palianytsia missile-drone pictured for first time (Kyiv Independent)
This, by the way, looks like an elegant piece of engineering.
Bottom line is that both sides are playing to their strengths, and both sides are trying to control the game.
I personally believe that Ukraine successfully changed the game permanently in their favor, and RuZZia is desperate to change it back. We'll see.
Tenchusatsu |
