Russia has long calculated the possibility of Ukraine attacking Kursk, but did not think Kiev could go far and made miscalculations.
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| Ukrainian forces stationed in Kursk have repeatedly warned military commanders of the possibility of Kiev's offensive, starting in late 2023. (Source: RT) |
The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that the Russian government had known about the risk of a future attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kursk region for months, but failed to take appropriate measures to address the threat.
The Guardian, citing Russian government and military (RFAF) documents seized by Ukrainian forces in Kursk, reported on September 20 that Moscow forces stationed in the region had repeatedly warned military commanders of the possibility of a Kiev offensive, starting in late 2023.
“Although Moscow forces may have known about many points along the border where Ukraine could launch an attack, Kiev forces were able to exploit uncertainty about their intentions and operational capabilities to achieve surprise,” ISW said.
One document notes that as of June, Russian military units stationed along the border had an average of only 60-70 percent of their scheduled strength and were mostly poorly trained reservists.
"It appears that Russia has made no significant efforts to increase the readiness of units in the Kursk region border areas or build additional fortifications along the border, and the Russian authorities may have chosen to ignore these requests due to miscalculations about Ukraine's ability to advance deep into the Kursk region," the ISW report said.
In the report, ISW also informed that during her visit to Kiev on September 20, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the establishment of two new credit mechanisms for Ukraine worth up to 45 billion and 35 billion euros, respectively.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vien-nghien-cuu-chien-tranh-isw-nga-sai-mot-li-di-mot-dam-ukraine-khong-ngo-lam-duoc-viec-lon-287154.html
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