Russia is said to have been receiving information about an impending Ukrainian advance on Kursk for months. This is suggested by information from the British Guardian. An important target of the attack is also correctly named.
In August, Ukraine dared to advance into Russian territory. Since then, fighting in the Kursk region has continued. The action was considered a surprise attack – also because Ukraine advanced quickly. But a report by the Guardian suggests that Russia may have known about the Ukrainians' plans. And did not, or could not, prevent them.
Authorities and the military in the Russian region of Kursk are said to have had clues. This is reported by the Guardian, citing Russian documents that the Ukrainian military is said to have discovered during its Kursk offensive. The British daily newspaper was unable to independently examine the documents. “But they bear the typical characteristics of genuine Russian army communications,” the report says.
First warnings in January
According to the documents, there were warnings about Ukrainian advances into Russian territory – they go back to January 2024. A February entry feared a “rapid advance from the Sumy region into Russian territory.” It also mentions the small town of Sudzha, which is now occupied by Ukraine.
Measures to strengthen border defenses were reportedly ordered as early as March. In the same month, there were reports of incidents in which Ukrainian sabotage groups were said to have been active in Russian uniforms.
Concerns about the soldiers’ condition
The documents show complaints about the stationed units in June: the troops only had 60 to 70 percent of their manpower and were made up of poorly trained reservists. There were concerns about the morale and psychological state of the soldiers in Kursk. At the beginning of August, the Ukrainian groups entered Kursk.
Since the advance, fighting has been taking place in Kursk. Russia announced today that it would regain control of the occupied region “in a timely manner.” “Our soldiers are doing a good job, they will succeed. Control will be restored,” said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
He did not give any details about the plans for the counter-offensive. Although the situation in the occupied Russian territories is extreme, it will soon change in Russia's favor, said Peskov. Today, a Russian commander also announced the capture of two villages; recently Russia had repeatedly reported territorial gains in the region.
German general contradicts Selenskyj
The Ukrainian General Staff did not provide any new information on the situation in Kursk on Thursday evening. But President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening speech that the government in Moscow had been forced to move 40,000 soldiers there due to the offensive in Kursk. Russia's attack potential on the Eastern Front in Donetsk had been reduced.
German army general Christian Freuding contradicts this Ukrainian account. Forces were diverted towards Kursk, but no Russian combat troops were withdrawn from the Donbass, said the chief military coordinator of German aid to Ukraine, who is also head of the planning staff in the Ministry of Defense.
