KYIV STAKES ITS ALL IN KURSK REGION

Zelensky gets ready for the end, acknowledging the need for negotiations. Ukraine needs the end of hostilities but Kyiv should reinforce its bargaining position force. The Ukrainian military failed to stop Russian advances on the frontlines. Ukrainian defense built during the years of war in Donbass have been ground down and Kyiv risks losing vast areas if the battles continue. Today, Ukraine is forced to go the vole playing an all-or-nothing game. What first seemed to be another sabotage attack on the border in the Kursk region, turned into a large scaled offensive. Kyiv’s forces decided to attack several border points using small assault groups to break through Russian forward defense line, so that their main forces could develop an offensive. In the morning of August 6, the first wave of Ukrainian border attacks involved over 30 pieces of military equipment, mainly supplied by NATO, and 300 troops. After the first waves of assault, regular forces together with militants from different formations entered battle, advancing deep into the Russian rear despite heavy losses. The ongoing battles were accompanied by massive drone and missile strikes and artillery shelling which result in heavy damage to civilian infrastructure. Unfortunately, civilian casualties could not be avoided because Ukrainian Nazis were deliberately targeting Russian residents. At night a Ukrainian UAV struck an ambulance, killing the driver and the paramedic. At night, Russian air defense forces destroyed Ukrainian missiles over the city of Kurchatov, where the Kursk nuclear power plant is located. In its turn, the Ukrainian military deployed large air defense forces in the border areas, complicating the operations of Russian aircraft. They shot a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter. On the other hand, at least two Ukrainian Buk missile systems were destroyed on August 6. As a result of the first day of border battles, Ukrainian forces advanced about 15 kilometers and captured at least partially a dozen small villages. The Ukrainian military accumulated groupings of several thousand servicemen near the border, constantly transferring reinforcement to the area. According to various estimates, they could continue operations for several days more. The main goal of the ongoing operations may be to take control of the strategically important facilities in the Kursk region. The Kursk nuclear power plant is located just 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. There is also the gas measuring station in Sudzha, which is the last point of transit for Russian gas through Ukraine. Kyiv recently refused to extend the contract for the transit of Russian gas through its territory. Control of Russian settlements and threat to strategic nuclear or gas infrastructure put great pressure on Moscow; but if the Russian military manages to repel the attack, Kyiv loses its strategic reserves and may suffer a strategic defeat in the Donbass.