Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting with military commanders and officials, during he was briefed on “defensive actions in the directions from where Russia was attacking Ukrainian territory.”
According to a statement, Zelenskyy heard a report by his air force Commander and “approved a plan for further actions to strengthen our air defense system to protect people, critical infrastructure and military facilities.”
Oleh Ivashchenko, the general in charge of the Foreign Intelligence Service, also presented a report about “Russia’s next terrorist plans.”
Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine, briefed the Ukrainian President about “special long-range operations.”
Minister of Internal Affairs Klymenko reported on the preparation of schools for the new school year in terms of security.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian forces engaged in heavy fighting for a fourth day near their shared border in southwestern Russia’s Kursk region.
The Ukrainian military intelligence agency disclosed that Ukrainian special forces conducted an amphibious raid on the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit in the Black Sea, destroying six Russian armoured vehicles and personnel, .
Zelenskyy promised that “Russia will be held accountable” after an attack on a supermarket in Kostiantynivka in the eastern region of Donetsk killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens of others.
Ukraine Incursion Aimed At Instilling Fear In Russian Soldiers
Peter Zalmayev, Executive Director of Eurasia Democracy Initiative, opined that this is the first time a sovereign foreign power has crossed into Russian borders in active military combat since the end of the second world war.
He told a news agency that the Ukrainian offensive could be aimed at pulling away Russian forces from the Donbas front lines, and to instill fear in the hearts and minds of Russian soldiers fighting in the area.
“Also, the aim is to expose the regime of Vladimir Putin as a colossus on clay feet, so to speak, to show to his elites that he is not as strong as he seems to be.”
Peter Zalmayev
Zalmayev added that he believes that the incursion would be “short-lived” as Ukraine does not possess the required forces or the desire to occupy the territory for a long time.
“But what’s glaring is how long it’s taking Russians to send regular troops there, because Ukraine has been able to occupy 350km [217 miles] of Russian territory, more than it was able to liberate during its failed counteroffensive.”
Peter Zalmayev
Meanwhile, Marina Miron, a military analyst from London’s King’s College, was of the notion that the Russian military wishes to quash Ukraine’s incursion as soon as possible because it is close to “logistical nodes” in the Kursk region, which could increase the risk of a conflict spillover.
“And it has to be stopped from an information point of view in order to show that Russia can indeed defend its borders. It has been somewhat of a slap to Russia’s face that the Ukrainians managed to get through the border and take advantage of its porosity.”
Marina Miron
According to Miron, Russia’s goal is to stop the offensive without having to redeploy troops from the Kharkiv region, which would ease pressure on the Ukrainian front.
Also, Miron asserted that the Ukrainian army’s offensive into Russian soil is primarily intended to improve its negotiating position.
“In the past few months, President Zelenskyy has stopped talking about victory and the battlefield picture for Ukraine has been looking grim. Ukraine got the F-16 fighter jets but did not receive the necessary equipment to mount a new second Ukrainian counteroffensive. So there’s a lot of pressure on battlefield.
“The Ukrainian command, lacking a strategy of victory, decided to use this tactical action in order to divert attention and especially to impact Russian troops, leadership and people psychologically.”
Marina Miron
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