Excellent lies, Lee Harvey. Only problem is that Russia did pull troops from the front lines to combat the invasion in Kursk. Ukraine has nothing to fear from Russia's pathetic reserve troops. It was the reserve troops that were asleep at the border and let Ukraine in, surrendering en masse along the way. Or have you forgotten that detail already? Have you blacked that completely out from your memory? Russia appears to have diverted several thousand troops from occupied Ukraine to counter Kursk offensive, US officials say I don't know anything about any agreement that anyone could make with the barbarians of Russia that could be trusted. While the agreement could make it theoretically possible to get through the winter without blackouts, the reality is that the attacks on the electrical grid would continue as if the agreement never existed. That is how the Russians roll. That is why Reagan said, "trust, but verify"--in other words, do not trust the Russians. Because they cannot be trusted. Putin is as much a liar as Stalin, Kruschev, Brezhnev, and Andropov were. Gorbachov was the only Russian leader that had any semblance of the truth to him.
More land Ukraine will have to give up in a peace deal that they would not have had to give up if they were allowed to strike a peace deal sooner?
His mouth is asking you, but his brain is telling you. His eyes are watching his ass, just in case your avatar means him. His ears are plugged with Kleenex and covered in duct tape. Like a true Trump supporter, he knows way more about military matters than any military man. He has seen numerous war movies, including the ones with John Wayne. Yeah. He's THAT serious.
It doesn't seem like you are intent upon offering any substance to the discussion. Perhaps I should ask you if the UAF their objective in Kursk, what have they won? Some forestland in southwestern Russia?
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I'm trying to clarify what operational objective you think the RGF achieve if they take Pokrovsk. It appears you are trying to say that it gives Russia a stronger hand if they end up in peace negotiations with the Ukrainians. Is that accurate? So the first invasion into Western mainland Russia since Operational Barbarossa in 1941 is not significant?
Time for the annual coup attempt. It's running a couple months late this year (it was June of last year). These private military contractors need to stay on their toes and keep to the schedule. June 23rd is National Coup Day.
Ukraine made an earlier incursion into the Belgorod sector, so it's not really the first invasion since 1941. We saw what came of that, but I digress. I don't think Russia seeks Pokrovsk as a bargaining chip. I think they seek 100% control of the Donetsk oblast and Pokrovsk makes that a lot easier. Russia is content fighting a war of attrition and wearing the UAF down, making slow incremental gains over a period of months, even years, until Ukraine breaks down. It's been 10 years since Russia made their first foray into Donetsk. They're quite happy playing the long game. Pokrovsk shortens that game. Regarding peace negotiations, I don't believe Russia have any intent on handing back any land currently held. I believe they'll push Ukraine out of the Kursk region within the next 30 days and at that juncture, for what reason would Russia give up any territory in peace negotiations? They are obviously very content with allowing a war of attrition to continue and wear down the UAF's troop levels. If Ukraine can hold positions in Kursk, perhaps that yields them something, but most Western sources even still doubt Ukraine's ability to hold turf in Kursk long-term. The big point being Russia can afford to sacrifice the forestland they've lost in Kursk. Ukraine cannot afford to sacrifice Pokrovsk. It's too important strategically for UAF command in that region.
They've won eternal residence in Putin's brain (as well as the brains of all Russians) for the rest of his (short) life. The myth of Russian invincibility has been completely destroyed. "Tell them what else they've won, Don Pardo!" They won some real estate that is between Moscow and the fighting. They have won space on a Russian railroad track, as well as a highway that runs parallel to the border. They have won their own natural gas distribution center. And they've won the hearts and minds of the locals, who were fed and allowed to evacuate through special corridors. If there are not careful, they will win a nuclear power plant.
It feels like this has already been asked and answered. Only the Ukrainian leadership knows what its actual objectives are. The rest of us are speculating. But their objective is probably not to keep a slice of Russia long-term. Some plausible goals, not mutually exclusive, are to embarrass the Russian government (seems to be working), relieve pressure on the Eastern Front (also seems to be working), disrupt the flow of gas from Russia to Hungary (not sold on this one; Ukraine could have done that at any time); send a message to the international community that Ukraine is still worthy of material support (successful so far); and/or create conditions where Russia has to attack under unfavorable circumstances and must suffer heavy casualties (jury is still out on that). This all needs to play out before any analysis of whether this was a smart move or not is practical.
Have they taken this strategic hub yet or are they still just threatening to, like Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv?
How so? What can you point to on the Eastern Front that suggests the Kursk incursion is relieving pressure for Ukraine? Was it the evacuation orders in Pokrovsk? The daily Russian advances which have only picked up steam since the Kursk invasion? The rest of what you listed is purely conjecture. Embarrass the Russian government? How? Didn't Kherson and Kharkiv embarrass the Russian government already? How did that work out for Ukraine? You keep framing the Russian public as though they have the same emotional responses to this stuff as Americans would. It doesn't work that way there. If anything, the sense of urgency in the Russian people is increased to support the war since Ukraine are fulfilling what the Kremlin has been claiming all along: eastern expansion of NATO. The Kursk invasion is validation for the Kremlin more than an embarrassment. Send a message that Ukraine is still worthy of material support? Hardly. Though the administration is feigning glee about the invasion, if it's true the UAF were able to hide this from CIA, then Congress knows they cannot trust Ukraine with more weapons. What is to say they won't fly F-16's into Moscow? Everything in your post is spin and propaganda. Mind you, I'm not cheering for Russia here, but the main point is how is this relieving pressure on the Eastern front for Ukraine? What evidence are you seeing that it is making things easier for the UAF there? I see none. I see the opposite. I see Ukrainians running for their lives in Pokrovsk. And that's really what this comes down to. Does the Kursk invasion achieve a military objective in the aggregate for Ukraine? I'm not seeing evidence that it is and if they get moved out of Kursk, then it'll be forgotten within days and Ukraine is that much further behind the 8 ball. Make it make sense...
That's just a blatantly dishonest question. UAF says Russian troops are within 10 km of the city limits of Pokrovsk. I would say this is more threatening like Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Robotyne. Again, Kyiv has ordered evacuations in Pokrovsk. Surely they perceive this as more than just an empty Kremlin threat.
Given the sheer amount of men and materiel you have to figure russia is going to eventually take pokrovsk. Ukraine has no answer on defense for glide bombs. The only answer I see is going on the offensive in Russia, where the Russian military can’t just scorched earth destroy their own territory. Maybe there Ukraine can take enough land to force some kind of cease fire. Idk. That’s just one guess. But as things stand now without having a significant air force there isn’t anything they can do about the glide bomb-meat wave tactics in the east right now.
I'm not sure why this is so hard to admit for some of the others, but yes I would agree the Kursk invasion is born out of desperation to give Ukraine some hope of a decent ceasefire resolution, due to the damage being inflicted on the Eastern front. I have been saying for months now Ukraine would be wise to enter into negotiations for a ceasefire in order to cut their losses, because if Pokrovsk falls, that will make it very difficult for Ukraine to hold the remainder of Donetsk. It would also effectively penetrate all of Ukraine's defensive lines in that area, which creates more opportunity for Russia. By all accounts, Russia is stepping up things in the Pokrovsk direction since the Kursk invasion, not backing off.
