Putin’s gruff and irritated reaction to the Ukrainian offensive: Vladimir Putin comments in detail for the first time on the Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory. And signals: Russia does not want to interrupt its own offensive in the Donbass to defend Kursk. (translation in comments)

https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/ukrainische-offensive-bei-kursk-ein-gereizter-wladimir-putin-a-52b7e39c-2283-464a-b5ec-2f98343a688f

by cito

22 comments

  1. *Translation*:

    Vladimir Putin currently has a difficult task to solve. For the first time since the Second World War, a foreign invading power has conquered Russian territory, an unprecedented event. How this could happen has to be explained to his people.

    Putin was correspondingly gruff and irritable when he discussed the Ukrainian invasion with military officers, secret service chiefs and ministers on Monday evening. It was his first lengthy appearance on the subject since the start of the invasion.

    The events called for an “assessment”, he threatened right at the beginning
    even if other things were more important for the time being. And when the governor of the Kursk region outlined the extent of the invasion via a video link – 28 villages were in enemy hands, the enemy had advanced twelve kilometers – Putin interrupted him abruptly: Governor Alexei Smirnov should leave the territorial losses to the military. However, their statements at the meeting were not made public.

    ### Memories of a submarine

    One week after the start of the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk border region, the Kremlin is still in the process of organizing its response. The attack has revealed astonishing weaknesses. Politically, it is a disaster. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, presented it as a symbolic end to the entire Putin system: Putin’s rule began 24 years ago with a catastrophe, the sinking of the Kursk submarine. “Now you can see what the finale will be for him. Kursk once again. The catastrophe of his war,” Selensky triumphed.

    But the political damage is one thing, the military damage is something else. Putin’s message on Monday was: we will not let the unexpected Ukrainian advance upset our military plans. The Ukrainians’ “most important military goal” is to stop the advance of the Russian army in the Donbass, for example – but this is continuing, even “one and a half times faster” than before, Putin claimed. In fact, Russian troops are still advancing in small steps near Torezk and Pokrovsk in the Donbass. Putin is signaling: There will be no weakening of the offensive there, no withdrawal of troops to defend Kursk. Reserves must come from elsewhere.

    ### Evacuation of 180,000 people

    Even a week after the invasion, it is difficult to estimate the extent of Ukraine’s territorial gains on Russian territory. Official information is scarce and can hardly be verified.

    Army chief Oleksandr Syrsky reported to President Selenskyj on Monday that they controlled “almost 1000 square kilometers” in the Kursk region. On the same day, Russian Governor Smirnov told Putin that the enemy controlled a strip 40 kilometers wide and twelve kilometers deep.

    The number of evacuees mentioned by Governor Smirnov also gives an idea of how far Ukrainian troops have advanced: 121,000 people had already been evacuated and another 59,000 would be.

    Either way, these would be far larger areas than those that Russia has conquered at the same time with its gradual offensive on Ukrainian territory.

    ### Motivation boost for Ukraine

    For Ukraine, whose last major victories were almost two years ago, this is a considerable motivational boost. Until a week ago, news from the front mainly consisted of retreats against an overpowering opponent. “There was a creeping discrediting of the army. People saw these retreats as defeats,” Rada deputy and colonel Roman Kostenko told Ukrainska Pravda. Now morale is rising again. Kostenko filmed himself crossing the border to the Kursk region in combat gear.

    The fact that Ukraine’s Western allies have not raised any objections to the deployment of Western weapons on Russian soil can also be considered a success.

    But even after a week, it remains unclear what the long-term goal of the offensive in the Kursk region is. Is Ukraine hoping to hold on to the conquered territories long enough for them to possibly serve as collateral for an exchange of territory? Is the advance towards Kursk a preparation for painful negotiations with Russia?

    That is the assumption Putin himself made on Monday. “By all appearances, the opponent is trying to improve its negotiating position,” he said – and immediately rejected possible negotiations. The opponent would receive “an appropriate response”.

    However, Putin did not reveal what this should consist of. Technically speaking, the Russian state did not even classify the invasion of the Kursk region by a foreign army as a war. It was merely declared an “anti-terrorist operation”. Just as Putin has avoided the word “war” for his invasion of Ukraine for two years, he is also avoiding it now that the war has effectively spread to Russian territory. He spoke neutrally of a “situation”. Members of the Duma and the Federation Council were even advised not to comment on what was happening there.

    Governor Smirnov from Kursk reported on Monday evening that 40 kilometers of anti-tank ditches had already been dug and 90 shelters were being built to secure the new front line. That doesn’t sound like the Ukrainian troops will be driven back across the border quickly.

  2. Very telling about Putin and the Russian attitude in general, that he’d rather want to kill more Ukrainians than defend his own people.

  3. More on this subject from other reputable sources:

    —
    – Kyiv Post (C-): [‘How Can I Negotiate With a Regime That Attacks Civilians?’ – Putin Asks With No Hint of Irony](https://www.kyivpost.com/post/37295)
    – Business Insider (B-): [Kursk: US says solution for Russia is to ‘get the hell out of Ukraine’](https://www.businessinsider.com/get-the-hell-out-ukraine-white-house-response-putin-kursk-2024-8)
    – Euromaidan Press (B): [Trump echoes Russian propaganda, blaming Biden for Russia's invasion of Ukraine – Euromaidan Press](https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/08/13/trump-echoes-russian-propaganda-blaming-biden-for-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/)
    – Bloomberg (B): [Ukraine Kursk Incursion: Putin Brings in Ex-Bodyguard to Counter Operation](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-13/putin-brings-in-his-ex-bodyguard-to-counter-ukrainian-incursion)

    —
    [__Extended Summary__](https://www.reddit.com/r/newswall/comments/1ercv3i/) | [FAQ & Grades](https://www.reddit.com/r/newswall/comments/uxgfm5/faq_newswall_bot/) | I’m a bot

  4. Translation of the translation: we can’t do shit about it.

  5. Putler doesn’t give two shits about the Russian people, neither did any of the tsars nor any Soviet commissar.

  7. 1) take the npp turn off the power to half of russias industry. 2) take out the crimean bridge. 3) Start grind the front from behind trap them against their own minefields. 4) adopt ukranians cats for their service as rat and plague stoppers at the trenches.

  8. Putin: unleash the death star, the galactic tank and the wuzzian walrus weapon…..

  9. Since Putin values the Donetsk front more than his own lands and is not willing to move troops to defend Russian lands, perhaps Ukraine can can assault and take over Russian logistic hubs.

    That should hurt the Donetsk front.

  10. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s probably the correct play from a Russian perspective. Just endure until the Ukrainian front eventually collapses. As long as Ukraine can’t do a massive land grab and circle around to flank the Russian position in the south.

  11. Reminds me of that mantis that eats a wasp, and another wasp cuts him in half-but he is still eating the wasp.

  12. In his conference he was wiping and rubbing his hand continuously as if with a medical condition. Stress?

    Everyone has seen his shaking legs before, and holding on to a table.

    It’s very strange, what is his medical condition?

  13. “some of you may die but that’s a chance i’m willing to take”

  14. Stating that to retake Kursk would remove troops from the Donbass tells everyone that Russia is open to anyone that wants it. Their existing infantry is stretched to breaking point. The Norwegians could roll into St Petersburg and plant their flag.

  15. This same hubris cost Russia dearly in the Russo-Japanese war.

    200,000 Russian citizens have already fled their homes and jobs and are now burdens of the state who need to be fed and given medical care and shelter, further increasing the strain on state resources and logistics.

    If Ukraine can push a bit more and double or triple this number Russia is in real trouble.

  17. I’m wondering if a gigantic Russian problem has just emerged. A year or so ago it was thought that the Russian Battalion Tactical Groups had been wrecked so badly that each was down to around 120 foot soldiers, down from five to six hundred each. There were only seventy of them in Donbas last year.

    The BTG has all the big toys so they’re no fun to attack into and they can hold large sections of static front.

    But we’ve seen over and over that they absolutely suck at reacting and it looks to me like the Ukrainians are just running them over as they appear in the field in front of them in Kursk.

    If every Russian has been lying and overreporting his strength in order to shave his own vig off of the army, the bloodbath will continue because the Russians won’t ever show up with enough troops for the job.

  19. Putin is playing 4D chess here.

    Here’s why. Ukraine has shown and is operating by international rules of war and is not targeting civilians. Putin knows this. Putin also knows his Russians soldiers will rape and kill every and any Ukrainian citizen without mercy as they have shown time and time and time again.

    Putin won’t spend resources defending Russians in Russia because Ukraine won’t deliberately hurt Russian citizens.

    What the Russians civilians have to worry about are the Russian soldiers who will Black Flag them given an opportunity to do so. Hence the ban on cell phones or any media from the Russian front lines.

  22. Putin: You’re on your own Kursk.
    Zelensky: Time for a referendum.

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