Ukraine's Kursk Incursion Aims to Distract Russian Forces Amid Setbacks on Eastern Front – FT

The Ukrainian military's ongoing offensive in Russia's Kursk region is part of a strategic effort to divert Russian forces from gaining further ground in eastern Ukraine, according to the Financial Times (FT).

Over the past few days, Russian troops have made significant advances near Toretsk in the Donetsk region, threatening a key supply route for Ukrainian forces.

Sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda confirm that Russian forces, using artillery and drones, are attempting to encircle the city.

If Toretsk falls, Russia could reach the critical T0504 road, potentially enabling them to capture the entire Donetsk region - one of Vladimir Putin's primary objectives.

Toretsk itself remains under Ukrainian control but has endured massive attacks from both Russian artillery and aircraft using guided bombs for more than a month.

Moscow’s forces are also pushing westward toward Pokrovsk, a crucial logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in Donbas, and continues its offensive west of the city of Donetsk and near the administrative border between the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian counterattacks using tanks have not yet been able to halt the Russian advance.

A senior Ukrainian military official told the FT that Ukrainian defenses are “cracking” under the pressure, with Russian forces achieving “tactical success” that could allow them to continue their offensive.

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This progress has undermined Ukraine's gains from its 2023 counteroffensive, with Russian troops now having taken control of twice the area of territory recaptured by Ukraine, albeit at a significant cost.

In response to these challenges, Ukraine launched a sudden attack on Russia's Kursk region on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The FT suggests that this move is intended to shift focus away from the deteriorating situation on the eastern front.

In the southeast of Sudzha city, in the Kursk region, there is a railway line crucial for Russian troop supplies. This area, according to the FT, is now a target for Ukraine as it attempts to disrupt Russian operations in the Kharkiv region and along the Belgorod border.

Another potentially big target for the Ukrainian Army is the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). It could be used as a bargaining tool to secure the release of the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. As the Ukrainian Armed Forces move further into the Kursk region, they are now less than 70 kilometers (45 miles) or less from the plant, Moscow is apparently moving Pantsir self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air defense systems into the area.

The independent news site “Important Stories,” citing employees from the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, says negligence and hubris have put the facility at risk.

According to an anonymous source from within the plant nearly all the male security staff were mobilized following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine leaving the site currently guarded by women.