The bold Ukrainian operation in the Russian-occupied Kursk region broke several outdated patterns and stereotypes and brought a number of benefits to Ukrainians.
The Ukrainian military operation in Kursk became a landmark event not only in the history of the Russian-Ukrainian war, but in all geopolitics since the end of World War II. Critics both inside and outside the country have gotten over the initial shock and are talking about the”adventurousness” of the Kurdish operation, aboutthe “inevitable squeezing out” of Ukrainian troops and significant losses, and some even scare Erephia witha “harsh reaction”. However, the reality shows the opposite – Ukraine is gaining significant”trump cards” in the fight against the Russian occupiers, which it did not have before.
First, the Ukrainian Armed Forces ‘ offensive in Kursk demonstrated to the West that Russia’s”red lines” can be easily crossed and that this will not cause an apocalypse. The myth that the Kremlin has maintained for decades and which frightened the international community has collapsed under the tracks of Ukrainian tanks. Even a week after the Ukrainian breakthrough and the establishment of control over the territory of the entire district, Putin was only confusedly holding meetings and shifting responsibility to the governors.
Second, Ukraine has demonstrated to the world and to Russians the real weakness of the Kremlin tyrant. For decades, Russians have been zombified by Putin’s “charisma and uniqueness,” and now part of Erephia has been seized from him, refugees are fleeing Kursk, and he has been babbling on about humanitarian aid for two weeks. It becomes obvious to everyone that this is not the behavior of an alpha male, not the style of an authoritative leader, but rather the reaction of a frightened and confused grandfather who can no longer guarantee the safety of Russians. The Kremlin used to promote a mythical social contract between the government and the people through state media: the president guarantees security and “prosperity,” but the population agrees to “managed democracy,” i.e., dictatorship. Many TV hosts glorified this order, but now it is becoming obvious to the population that they have been deceived: the government has taken away their rights and freedoms, but has given nothing in return and does not guarantee security.
Moreover, when Russians, especially refugees and evacuees from Kursk and Belgorod regions, are shown on TV that today the Russian army has advanced half a kilometer near a Donbas village in the Pokrovsk direction, and the citizens of Erefia are housed in tents and sit without food and water because the supplies have not yet been delivered or have been stolen by officials, they are only outraged by the senseless policy of the authorities. “We are capturing someone else’s property, but we can’t protect our own?” – this is the thought that dominates the minds of Russians. The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in Erefiyah is destroying the foundations of Putin’s regime. Ukrainians have shown Putin to be a weakling who is unable to control anything.
In addition, Ukraine has shown the world that if someone wants to break through the Erephia border and seize part of the territory, it can be done easily, and the Russian army will simply scatter. Unfortunately, this chance has not yet been used by Russia’s neighbors, and even the transfer of Russian troops from the Kaliningrad region to Kursk does not lead to historically justified actions on the part of Poland, Lithuania, or even Germany, but Erephia’s neighbors have realized how to act in the future.
Thirdly, Ukraine is pulling Russian troops out of the Donbas theater of operations to defend Russian regions. At the moment, due to Putin’s arrogance and the hypocrisy of officials who do not want to show the dictator their failures, the Kremlin has not withdrawn a significant part of its troops from Ukraine to defend Kursk, but it is only a matter of time. The massive surrender of Russian mobilized soldiers has shown that Moscow will have to withdraw a much larger number of combat-ready troops from Ukraine. By liberating Kursk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are liberating Ukraine – and this is not even a metaphor, given the historical connection and ethnic composition of the region’s population.
Fourth, Ukraine has gained a serious bargaining chip for the upcoming negotiations and the second Peace Summit. Now it will be more convincing to demand that the Kremlin withdraw Russian troops in exchange for the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Kursk. The replenishment of the prisoner exchange fund is also our undeniable success, which will allow many captured Ukrainians to return home.
If the Kremlin dwarf does not agree, he will look like a fool in the eyes of the people, who seized what was not his and lost what was his. Instead, Ukraine can create a “security zone” on its eastern border or even hold a referendum (the first real act of democracy in Erephia in the twenty-first century) and proclaim the Kursk People’s Republic. This would only benefit the Russians, as residents there would have much more democratic rights and freedoms than under the dictatorship of the Kremlin regime.
Of course, the Kremlin will send additional troops to drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Kursk, and Ukrainians will have to hold their ground, but for the first time, Ukraine has a non-phantom but absolutely real key to forcing the Russian aggressor to peace.
Fifth, the Kursk operation helped Ukrainians boost morale and restore the euphoria of the spring and fall of 2022, when Russians were retreating from Kharkiv and Kherson. In 2024, many Ukrainians were gripped by despondency, exacerbated by mobilization and corruption scandals and hostile IPSOs on these topics. Due to the Russian offensive in the Donbas and the lack of Ukrainian victories, some Ukrainians doubted the possibility of winning the war, and in some places apathy prevailed, also a trace of Russian information sabotage. And then there is the successful and courageous offensive of the Armed Forces, the raids that have had a tremendous psychological and geopolitical effect, and the huge surge of faith in Ukrainian strength. Such a public mood is extremely important for a nation fighting for independence and is a prerequisite for victory.
Whatever the intentions of the Ukrainian command in the Kursk offensive and whatever its further course course, it will go down in history as a bold example of how to deal with a Russian aggressor when it pushes into someone else’s country, of how to deal with a Russian aggressor when it trespasses on someone else’s property.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk
