Undermined ideology: the operation in the Kursk region made Russians interested in war, – WP

Undermined the ideology: the operation in the Kursk region made Russians interested in the war, – WP Dmitry Usik

The situation in the Kursk region/Collage 24 Channel

Ukrainian The operation in the Kursk region humiliated Putin and upended the logic of the war between Russia and Ukraine. It was a shocking blow to the Kremlin, because it undermines the essence of Russia's imperialist ideology.

The Washington Post writes that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a manifestation of “neo-imperialist revanchism”, in which Russia denied the sovereignty and own identity of Ukraine. On the contrary, Ukraine was seen as part of “greater Russia”, which should return to its native fold.

The Impact of the Kursk Offensive on Russia

These mistakes were dispelled by Ukraine's stubborn resistance and the surge of Ukrainian nationalism that accompanied its war effort. And now, instead of rebuilding Russia's vanished empire, Putin is watching as his own country's vulnerabilities become increasingly obvious, the author writes.

In one week, Ukraine's advance in Kursk has exceeded Russia's advance in Ukraine for the entire year. Russian military officials began speculating about which officials would lose their jobs because of the fiasco, while angry Russians complained about the lack of coordination during the evacuation.

The operation also saw Russian forces bombing their own territory after months of pounding Ukraine.

The invasion clearly achieved at least one Ukrainian goal: breaking through the haze of Russian complacency about the war – which has had limited impact on the lives of most ordinary Russians, the publication wrote earlier.

Since last week, it has been Russians, not Ukrainians, who have begun asking about the safety of the nuclear power plant closest to the fighting, watching videos of their conscripts captured and civilians deprived of shelter, as Kursk region disappears behind the active front line.

Harvard University (USA) academic Walter Clemens believes that regardless of the further development of the situation, Ukraine has already demonstrated “the fragility of the entire Putin system” – not only its intelligence and army, but also the viability of the dictatorship system as a whole.