Ukrainian forces shock Russia with bold strike in Kursk region
The Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region is yielding results. "The Russians are in shock and don't understand what is happening. The Kremlin assured them their tanks would be stationed in Kyiv, Warsaw, and Lisbon. But it is our tanks that are in the Kursk region today," says Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the President of Ukraine.
Ukraine is conducting its operation in the Kursk region. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the President of Ukraine, explained the situation changes hourly.
"Russia waged war with the awareness that no one would attack its territory. They deployed a huge amount of artillery and ballistic missile launchers along the border. They came as if to work—they came, shelled our regions: Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv. Then they went for lunch and came back to shell again. They thought we would never shell their territory," he says.
He insists that the action in the Kursk region also aims to ensure the safety of Ukrainians living in the regions bordering Russia by shifting the Kremlin's priorities.
"We are creating a 'sanitary zone' along our border. Additionally, we are showing our partners that there are no 'red lines.' We are destroying the myth of Russia's might," Podolyak says.
"The Russians are in shock"
He adds that the operation reveals Russia's weakness. "They don't have sufficient resources, aren't capable of making quick decisions, and can't send reinforcements there because they have placed their main forces in Donbas. In the Kursk region, we are destroying the war infrastructure that Russia created in case of war, not just with Ukraine. The logistical connections they used for moving people and equipment along the border no longer exist. The operation has succeeded if only because many Russian conscripts have been captured," he says.
"Creative actions were needed to move to the next stage of the war. The battles in the Kursk region opened a new phase in the war, a new battlefield. Thanks to this, we have taken the military and information initiative. We've nullified all talks about Russia being able to wage a long war," Podolyak emphasizes.
He said the operation had changed Russians' attitudes toward the war. "The Russians are in shock and don't understand what is happening. The Kremlin assured them their tanks would be stationed in Kyiv, Warsaw, and Lisbon. But it is our tanks that are in the Kursk region today. Russian propaganda is downplaying the issue and pretending nothing is happening. But it's a psychological trap. Ordinary people discuss this daily and realize that the war has come to them. This will influence the mood change in Russia," says Zelensky's advisor.
