Ukraine’s top general attacked Kursk out of desperation – Economist
Ukraine’s top commander, Aleksandr Syrsky, planned and ordered the attack on Russia’s Kursk Region in a last-ditch attempt to avoid being fired, The Economist reported on Sunday. Kiev also reportedly did not inform its Western backers about its plans, for fear that they would order the operation to be scrapped, or that the details would be leaked.
According to sources familiar with the planning for Ukraine’s largest cross-border incursion to date, Syrsky was on the verge of being sacked just weeks before the operation began because of the crumbling front in Donbass.
The Economist noted that Syrsky, who assumed his post in February, was “grappling with a less-than-ideal inheritance” from his predecessor, Valery Zaluzhny, as well as delays in Western support. In addition, he was reportedly under pressure from Vladimir Zelensky’s influential chief of staff, Andrey Yermak.
As tensions mounted, Syrsky devised what The Economist described as “a daring gamble born of desperation,” with several scenarios on the table. These included attacks on the Kursk or Bryansk border regions, or a combination of both. “The main objective was to draw [Russian] troops away from the Donbass stranglehold, and to create bargaining chips for any future negotiation,” the article stated.
The commander also reportedly committed to the highest degree of secrecy, discussing plans only with a select group of officials and informing Vladimir Zelensky of progress only on a one-on-one basis. This also meant that “Western allies were… deliberately left in the dark,” The Economist reported.
“Syrsky had two previous operations undermined by the West. One was leaked to the Russians, and on another occasion, we were instructed to abort,” The Economist source said. Regarding the alleged leak, this may have referred to the 2023 summer counteroffensive that ended in failure for Ukrainian troops. Zelensky claimed in February that plans for the operation had been “on the Kremlin’s table even before [it] began.”
The Economist noted that “presented with a fait accompli, the West did not object.” Numerous Western officials have voiced support for the attack on Russia, arguing that Kiev has “the right to self-defense.”
The US has insisted that it was not involved in the preparation of the Kursk incursion. However, former Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev has argued that Kiev would never have dared to launch such an operation without Washington’s backing, adding that NATO supplied Ukraine with weapons, military instructors, and intelligence.
As the fighting rages on in Kursk Region, The Economist cited Ukrainian soldiers as saying that they “are already beginning to see a different level of resistance,” with losses mounting.
While Kiev’s forces had occupied a part of the border area, the Russian Defense Ministry has said the advance has been halted. According to Moscow, Ukraine has lost more than 3,400 service members and around 400 armored vehicles in the incursion.
