The operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation has already received praise from Western partners who are assisting Ukraine in ending the war unleashed by Moscow.
On August 15, experts from the US think tank Atlantic Council assessed the significance and prospects of this offensive by Ukrainian troops — objectively much more effective than the counteroffensive operation of 2022.
Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Minister of Defense of Ukraine 2019-2020
Former Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk is confident that surprises are still to come in the Kursk region.
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— Ukraine has managed to do something that many analysts considered unthinkable – to surprise Russia with a not entirely traditional operation, he noted.
Zagorodnyuk pointed out that on the first day of the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive, the operation resembled a raid, but as the region was actually being developed by Ukrainian troops, the Kremlin realized that it was not dealing with a short-term action.
— I don’t think that strategically Ukraine has any ambitions or appetites for permanent maintenance of Russian territory. Ukrainians have never wanted a single piece of Russia, only for the Russians to be defeated in occupying our land, — said the former head of the Ukrainian defense department.
John Herbst — former US Ambassador to Ukraine
American diplomat John Herbst said there is no real reason for the concerns that arose again in the international community after the Kursk offensive, namely that Putin is ready to use nuclear weapons.
— It seems to me that this demonstrates that such threats by Putin were an obvious bluff. And this was obvious a year ago, — he points out.
At the same time, Herbst admits that Washington took such blackmail from Moscow into account, which is why Ukraine received only partial permission to use long-range weapons.
— And this is a serious strategic mistake by Western leaders. There is no doubt that peace is possible only if Moscow's forces suffer a serious defeat. Why are we handcuffing the military, limiting their capabilities? This is simply bad strategy. It is not in American interests and only leads to more deaths of Ukrainians, — concluded the former US representative in Kyiv.
Debra Kagan, Atlantic Council Fellow
Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Debra Kagan called on the international community to be precise in its wording and to avoid the term “occupation” when talking about the actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in Kursk region.
— I do not consider the Ukrainian forces irresponsible, like the Russian ones. In my view, Ukraine does not intend to cause pain and suffering to the civilian population in Russia in the way that the Russian army has done and continues to do on Ukrainian territory. Ukraine does not act like that. Civilized countries do not act like that, — the expert emphasized.
According to Kagan, the key goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this operation is not to hurt the local population of the Kursk region, but to inflict losses on Putin and his troops personally.
— It's time for them to admit and abandon the crazy idea that they are capable of taking over the world, — she summarized.
