“The Ukrainian military was able to take advantage of the situation for an offensive in the Kursk region, despite the fact that Russia knew about these plans and was preparing for it.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
Analysts referring to an article in The Guardian note that the Russian authorities knew about the threat of a future offensive by the Armed Forces in the Kursk region, but did not take appropriate measures to eliminate the threat. In particular, according to the publication, as of June, Russian military units stationed along the border were staffed by only 60-70% and mostly poorly trained reservists.
Read also: Changes in Kursk regions and the situation in the east: Zelenskyi listened to Sirskyi’s report According to ISW analysts, the Russian authorities did not make “any significant efforts” to increase the readiness of military units serving in the border regions of the Kursk region, or to build additional fortifications along the border before the start of the Armed Forces operation. Probably, the authorities of the Russian Federation decided to ignore the relevant requests due to miscalculations regarding the ability of Ukraine to advance deep into the territory of the Russian Federation.
“While Russian forces were likely aware of various points along the border where Ukraine could launch an incursion, Ukrainian forces were able to take advantage of uncertainty about their operational intentions and capabilities to ensure operational surprise,” ISW noted.
It is also noted that the Ukrainian military has experimented with innovative methods that combine ground operations and unmanned systems, however, the ISW does not cover them in detail in order to “maintain the operational security of Ukraine.”
Read also: Kursk the operation broke the long cycle of war – a British expert As reported, according to The Guardian, the Russian military command anticipated Ukraine’s invasion of the Kursk region and had been developing plans to prevent it for months.