WASHINGTON, August 15. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces, which attacked the Kursk region, will not be able to gain a foothold in this territory and will be forced to retreat from Russia, Monica Duffy Toft, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at Tufts University (Massachusetts), in an article on the Responsible Statecraft portal.
"In material terms, not much can be expected in terms of lasting impact. Ukraine will be forced to retreat from Russia," she noted. According to her, Kiev’s surviving troops and equipment "will be redistributed, after rest and refit, to other critical areas of Ukraine’s front with Russia."
In turn, Mark Episkopos, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Public Administration in Washington, noted that "Ukraine lacks the long-term capacity to hold even the modest territory that it is currently contesting."
On August 6, Ukraine launched a major offensive in the borderline Russian region. Air raid sirens have repeatedly rung out there. The massive attack killed 12 civilians and injured 121 people, including 10 children. As many as 69 injured people remain in hospitals, of which 17 are believed to be in grave condition. Over 120,000 people have either left or been evacuated from the Kursk Region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev has lost roughly 2,300 troops, 37 tanks and 32 armored personnel carriers since fighting began in the Kursk area.
The operation for liquidation of the Ukrainian armed forces is ongoing.