Russia was unprepared for the breach of the border in the Kursk Region. It will have to redeploy troops from other fronts.
This opinion was expressed by Janek Kesselmann, Deputy Commander of the Estonian Ministry of Defense Intelligence Center, according to ERR.
"It is likely that the Russian armed formations were not prepared for the Ukrainian advance in this region, and the attack came as a surprise to them," he said.
Kesselmann suggested that Ukrainian forces may have advanced 15 kilometers into the Kursk Region. He does not rule out that Russia will need to redeploy units for defense.
"It is possible that the second line of defense of the Russian Federation in the region has been partially breached. The advance of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk area is likely to lead to the redeployment of Russian units from other fronts to secure defense and counterattacks against Ukrainian forces in the region," the Estonian intelligence officer noted.
On August 6, Russia claimed a supposed breach of the border by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk Region. Initially, Russia stated that they had halted the advance but later admitted that fighting was ongoing.
As reported, fighting in the border areas of the Kursk Region has continued for the fourth day. It is suggested that the combat zone now covers about 800 square kilometers, with information indicating an advance of up to 30 kilometers into the Kursk Region.
Today, August 9, the Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged that fighting has reached the city of Sudzha, which hosts several key facilities, including a power substation and a station through which Russian gas transits to Europe via Ukraine.
