Yesterday at 19:58
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, began planning an operation in the Kursk region back in July, when he was under pressure due to an active Russian offensive in the Donbas.
This information comes from The Economist, citing sources.
The general considered several scenarios for the Ukrainian army’s offensive on the weakest points of the Russian defense: an invasion into the Bryansk or Kursk regions, or possibly both. The goal was to weaken the Russian advance in the Donbas and gain leverage for any future negotiations.
Syrskyi kept his plans secret, sharing them only with a few generals and security officials. He also discussed them with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in one-on-one meetings, without involving his staff. Much of the intelligence work was conducted by army intelligence rather than the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, which was only included in the operation at a later stage.
Western allies were also kept in the dark. According to sources, two operations planned by Syrskyi were thwarted due to Western involvement. In one case, information was leaked to the Russians, and in another, Western allies instructed not to carry out the plan. The secrecy allowed the Ukrainian army to begin the attack before the Russians realized what was happening.
Oleksandr Syrskyi also misled Russia by concealing the arrival of the most prepared units to the Sumy border under the pretext of defending against a supposed Russian attack on the region.
In early August, Ukrainian soldiers began to suspect that something significant was underway when they were issued new helmets with integrated headsets and new rifles.
Currently, the commander-in-chief is focused on expanding the flanks along the border. The Ukrainian contingent is establishing control over the southern bank of the Seym River, northwest of Sudzha. Initially, Russia considered the breakthrough not particularly serious. However, it is now bringing in more well-prepared troops to respond to the incursion.
