Ukraine's offensive in Kursk has been "very successful" from a political perspective. This is what Jade McGlynn, a defense researcher at King's College in London, told The Guardian.
He says that it is happening at a time when Ukraine is being pressured in several directions, but that the offensive shows that the Russian forces are not as strong as many people think.
- It suggests once again that Putin's "red lines" are just words, he says.
Countries in the West have for a long time of the war urged Ukraine not to use Western weapons against Russian territory, out of concern for escalation. According to unconfirmed Russian information, American combat vehicles have been used in Kursk.
The offensive on Russian soil began on Tuesday. The Ukrainian leadership kept silent for a long time but commented on it for the first time today Thursday.
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Russian defense chiefs had intelligence indicating that Ukraine began massing troops on the border with Russia's Kursk region as early as two weeks ago - but did not inform President Vladimir Putin. A source close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg.
The news agency writes that the warnings seem to have been ignored, that the Russian defense was taken to bed and that Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov is under increasing pressure. The source says that he will be safe in the short term, but that the Kremlin is starting to lose patience.
The offensive on Russian soil began on Tuesday and, according to the Financial Times, Ukrainian forces have taken control of areas totaling 350 square kilometers.
Ukraine on Kursk: "A response to Russian aggression"
Russia's aggression against Ukraine is the reason for all escalations in the conflict - including the one in Russian Kursk and Belgorod, President Zelensky's advisor Mychajlo Podoljak writes on X.
It is the first time that someone high up in Ukraine's leadership has spoken out about the Ukrainian ground offensive that began in Kursk on Tuesday. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a "huge provocation".
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Analysis: The offensive may go against the Russian money faucet
Ukraine's offensive across the border could mean the war is entering a new phase, writes CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in an analysis. At the same time, he wonders whether Ukraine is acting smart or just desperate.
It may be Kyiv chasing favorable headlines, but there may be another reason: The region is home to a gas terminal that is key to Putin's gas exports.
"This could be an attempt to limit a lucrative source of funding for Moscow, which has irked Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion began."
Sky News' Deborah Haynes sees a clear difference compared to previous battles on Russian soil. Now it seems to be about the regular army and not any volunteer units. The timing is interesting, she believes, and points out that Ukraine has recently carried out more and more drone attacks against Russian territory.
"It also happens at the same time that Kyiv and Moscow are trying to strengthen their positions on the battlefield ahead of the presidential election in the United States in November."
The Australian ex-general Mick Ryan writes in an analysis for Foreign Affairs that Ukraine has been at rock bottom for the past six months. Challenges remain, but an improvement may be in sight, he believes.
"Ukraine will have better conditions in 2025 than this year, to liberate territory and convince Russia that the costs of the war are not worth it."
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