Ukraine says their forces now control almost 390 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region

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Well, that is the first time that the Ukrainian military has acknowledged that the incursion into Russia is an official military operation, and not done by volunteer groups and partisan fighters. Russia has yet to fully reinforce the Kursk district, but that should be imminent. As of today, Russia has lost over a 1,000 square kilometers of their own Russian territory in the Kursk Oblast (district).

You may remember less than a couple of weeks ago, the Ukrainian forces went over the border into Russia and started waging war to the north, in hopes of pushing Russia to redeploy forces from the occupied east in Ukraine to southern Russia, in order to protect their own country. Town by town, they advanced relatively unopposed and are now in control of an enormous area of southern Russia, comprised of over 30 towns now under the Ukrainian control.

Initially, when they went in, Moscow was embarrassed and they went public saying everything was ok, everything is stable, nothing to worry about. All of this while the Ukrainians were taking towns one by one, and over a 100,000 Russian civilians escaped, leaving everything behind. Russia did not provide any assistance or evacuations to their own people.

Then the people from the Kursk region got together a handful of days ago and posted a public video and a letter to Putin, telling him he was being lied to by his generals, and that the situation was far from stable. They knew what they were doing, of course. You can't tell a dictator he was making mistakes and his country was falling apart, you have to tell the dictator everyone is lying to him and not giving him the right information. It's not his fault.

Following that, Putin put out a video where he intensely stared down Gerasimov, sending him psychic messages of how unhappy he was with him.

The next few weeks may make or break these wars, both the occupation of Ukraine and the incursion into Russia. While Putin has upped recruitment, he will also have to move some forces from eastern Ukraine to reinforce Russia's southern border, once the invading forces are repelled, or they retreat. A general draft for all in Russia seems closer than ever.

When he moves those forces from Ukraine to reinforce Russia, it will create openings for the Ukrainians to take back their own occupied land. Or at least that is the goal of this operation -- splitting and weakening the Russian forces. And another reason...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incursion, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.

Putin is right.

If these Ukrainian forces are not stopped soon, who's to say that in a week they won't double that territory to 2,000 square km? And as the area grows, so does an opportunity for peace talks and land exchanges. Ukraine may get some of their territory back without having to fight for all of it; it may come as part of peace talks and negotiations where land masses are traded.

Ukraine: You get out of Crimea and all of Ukraine, and we'll give you back the Russia you lost.

It not only achieves their goal of liberating their own country, but they even further embarrass Putin and his faltering military... his regime weaker than ever before.

a reply to: Mahogani

It's a purely political move to gain negotiating advantage. They are going to get there a$$eS kicked all the way back to Kiev before it's over.

a reply to: charlest2

Of course it's a political move, they don't need Russia, they just want to free their own country from occupation.

But you're missing a big point here... Russia just lost a 1,000 square kilometers of Russia. And hasn't done anything about it yet, because they don't have enough military to deploy without additional recruitment.

This would be like us losing a portion of Alaska, and for over a week not doing anything about it but saying everything is ok, don't worry... while a 100,000 Americans are running away.

According to Zelensky, Russia has alwways been on the losing end of this war and all that's needed is a few more billion dollars to keep Ukraine winning.

I'm sure Ms. Zelebsky will appreciate our contributions....no amount of millions is too small when you've got a taste for the most expensive luxuries the world has to offer.

a reply to: Mahogani

Russia was certainly caught with their pants down around their ankles, for certain, but it isn't over until it's over. I see this as desperation on Zelensky's part. He couldn't regain Crimea last year and lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers trying to do it. This is his last gasp at gaining leverage to a negotiated settlement.

If any side is running out of manpower, it is most certainly Ukraine. They have lost upwards of 3/4 million men now. They are high jacking men off the streets in an effort to fill their ranks at this point and the people are beginning to rise up against him. They are burning the so-called recruiter's vehicles in the streets.

One morning, you will wake up to the news that Zelensky has either fled the country or has been killed in a popular uprising.

a reply to: charlest2

I agree. Ukraine just shot itself in the foot.

I was 100% for them, but no more. Is this seemingly totally stupid, unwise move a last-ditch effort to get Poland and other countries abused by Russia an effort to entice them to join in a war on Russian territory?

a reply to: charlest2

It's a purely political move to gain negotiating advantage.

Of course it is, who can blame them?

They are going to get there a$$eS kicked all the way back to Kiev before it's over.

I seem to recall that being said before....yet here we are.

Ukraine has been winning the propaganda war.
That’s the only thing keeping the money flowing to them.
It begs the questions…

How many of those Ukrainians do you think will ever step foot back in Ukraine again?

Was it worth all those losses when Ukraine is
already winning the propaganda war?

Seems a better value to keep pumping out those cute drone videos instead of losing divisions of troops just for a photo op in Russia.

originally posted by: Vermilion

Ukraine has been winning the propaganda war.

And the real war too it appears.

Remember that Russia was meant to end this "special operation" in 3 days? And now it's almost 3 years later and Russia is losing their own territory in their own country. This is being reported as the largest incursion into Russia, and Russia's largest loss of land since WW2.

It seems we've all been over-estimating Russia's capabilities, for decades perhaps.

As people have been saying for the last few years, this occupation of Ukraine was Putin's biggest mistake he ever made.

a reply to: Mahogani

Just an unsustainable diversion by an already defeated Ukraine.

originally posted by: Tolkien
a reply to: Mahogani

Just an unsustainable diversion by an already defeated Ukraine.

Defeated Ukraine?

Sounds like a rock album from Russia.

Let's put things into perspective. The US has 345,644,000 people as of today. Russia has 144,723,000 people today. We have about a 240% larger population.

The Russian president not reacting to over a 100,000 citizens having to flee their homes, is the equivalent of that happening to us with about a quarter million people having to run from war, leaving their lives and their homes behind.

Can anyone imagine what would happen if one of our States got attacked, and a 1/4 million Americans had to run away from war, say in Hawaii or Alaska, or even a mainland state? Can you imagine if an American president did nothing for over a week, sent no military and just claimed everything was ok, and it was a stable situation? Can anyone imagine that president not getting impeached?

Immediately!

The number one duty of an American president is protecting the lives and the homes of all Americans on American soil!

But for some reason Putin is not handling this like he should; and he should have handled it in the first moment he learned his country was invaded, some 10 days ago. I can see three options:

a) Putin doesn't care.

b) Putin does care, but he does not have the military to respond to this, and protect his border and his citizens.

c) Putin does have the military, but he doesn't know how to run it effectively.

a reply to: Mahogani

It seems to me that Ukraine has less territory now than they did in 2022.
I don’t think winning is the word I would use for Ukraine.

Word on the street is Russia is going all in now.
No more kid gloves.

originally posted by: Vermilion
a reply to: Mahogani

It seems to me that Ukraine has less territory now than they did in 2022.
I don’t think winning is the word I would use for Ukraine.

Word on the street is Russia is going all in now.
No more kid gloves.

Empty Russian bluster.

No more kid gloves?

Then why such a slow response? Why are over a 100,000 Russians displaced and no response yet?

The Ukrainians didn't take 30 towns in one day, they've been taking two to four towns per day, for the last week and a half.

originally posted by: Mahogani

originally posted by: Tolkien
a reply to: Mahogani

Just an unsustainable diversion by an already defeated Ukraine.

Defeated Ukraine?

Sounds like a rock album from Russia.

Let's put things into perspective. The US has 345,644,000 people as of today. Russia has 144,723,000 people today. We have about a 240% larger population.

The Russian president not reacting to over a 100,000 citizens having to flee their homes, is the equivalent of that happening to us with about a quarter million people having to run from war, leaving their lives and their homes behind.

Can anyone imagine what would happen if one of our States got attacked, and a 1/4 million Americans had to run away from war, say in Hawaii or Alaska, or even a mainland state? Can you imagine if an American president did nothing for over a week, sent no military and just claimed everything was ok, and it was a stable situation? Can anyone imagine that president not getting impeached?

Immediately!

The number one duty of an American president is protecting the lives and the homes of all Americans on American soil!

But for some reason Putin is not handling this like he should; and he should have handled it in the first moment he learned his country was invaded, some 10 days ago. I can see three options:

a) Putin doesn't care.

b) Putin does care, but he does not have the military to respond to this, and protect his border and his citizens.

c) Putin does have the military, but he doesn't know how to run it effectively.

Put things in perspespective ?
Yes, let us.

The present US administration is letting into the US MILLIONS of illegal non-vetted migrants , ignoring the defense of US border while wasting taxpayer dollars trying to defend the Ukraine border.

Makes sense to you ?

Furthermore, Ukraine is so short of soldiers that it is resorting to kidenapping their own citizens off the streets
No soldiers = lost war.

Finally, Ukraine keeps losing ground in the Dombass to Russian forces.

Ukraine HAS lost the war.



This incursion into Russia is a last ditch attempt to try to get Russia to move troops around; it is not sustainable for Ukraine and so will fail.

a reply to: Tolkien
I can hear the fat lady warming up backstage.

a reply to: Mahogani
That is 1000 square kilometers (30 x 30km or 0,006 % of the russian landmass). With 3000 ukrainian soldiers. Math says that are 3 ukrainian soldiers per square kilometer. In a region that is only very sparsely populated, usually only small clusters of 25 people in these villages.

If i personally would not be pretty sure that the leaders of both sides, led by WEF Young Global Leaders, work together and do everything to drag out this conflict, then i would have to ask myself what Selenskyi expects from that move. I am pretty sure the 3000 soldiers there will never come back (or if, then in pieces), they were send on a suicide mission. And in my eyes only to keep this conflict boiling as long as the profiteers profit from said conflict.

a reply to: Mahogani

Russia and Putin have been humiliated in front of the world. Putin's facade has blown up in his face.

Couldn't happen to nicer people.

Ukraine has given Putin a taste of his own medicine, they have also show Russia and the world that parts of Russia are now defenceless because of the Kremlins weak attempts at fighting a war. 5 days have turned into 3 years and now Russia has been invaded. Next the Chinese will take chunks of land they've wanted.

originally posted by: charlest2
a reply to: Mahogani
They are going to get there a$$eS kicked all the way back to Kiev before it's over.

Just read over the comments and noticed just how stuck you Russkies are on calling it Kiev, years after the international community accepted it being called what the Ukrainians asked for - Kyiv.

It just hurts too much to switch; you never will, will you?

Oh well, makes it easier to tell you apart.

P.S. Do you also not accept the Saint Petersburg name? You call it Petrograd or Leningrad?

a reply to: Mahogani

Well done Ukraine.

I just hope supply issues dont make it untenable to push forward or remain in place.

Freedom to Ukraine and down with Putin war and invasion.