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Apart from secondary objectives like replenishing the exchange fund and boosting morale in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Kursk operation has several far more significant goals that may only fully manifest in the long term, Serhiy Rakhmanin, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, said in an interview with Radio NV.
Rakhmanin reminded that even the resources that the Russians are transferring to Kursk, not from the hottest spot, Pokrovske, but from other directions, still cannot be used by the occupiers in Ukraine because they are now tied up in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation on Russian territory.
“Even those resources being transferred, for example, from the rear to Kursk and the adjacent Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts, brigades that were being restored to combat readiness, newly formed units—it’s all still a resource, it’s still a reserve that cannot be used in other directions,” the MP reminded.
Furthermore, the MP noted, sooner or later, the occupiers will have to address the issue of liberating their territories from Ukrainian forces.
“Then they will need many more resources, which they will not be able to use in other directions,” he explained as a potential long-term effect of Ukraine’s Kursk operation.
Rakhmanin is convinced that the Ukrainian operation “is already placing additional strain on logistics, adding pressure on the economy, and on the mobilization system.”
“The Russians are still able to replenish their forces, primarily through so-called volunteers, who are actually mercenaries, recruited into their Armed Forces with the help of huge salaries. But even they themselves are noticing, claiming that this flow is gradually dwindling. Because the number of people willing to die even for ridiculous money is still decreasing. So additional pressure is being created,” he emphasized.
Therefore, he believes it is currently impossible to fully assess the impact of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ offensive in Kursk Oblast.
“And when I talk about the goals [of the Kursk operation], we are considering the realization of these goals at the moment. War is a long process. Some things that we can’t touch today may become apparent in some time. It’s very difficult to assess this now,” the head of the relevant parliamentary committee emphasized.
According to Rakhmanin, sooner or later, the current Russian offensive in Donbas will stop.
“Where it stops will depend on many circumstances, primarily on the resilience of our military. And then they will still have to carry out an operation to liberate their territories from Ukrainian forces. And this will require much greater resources—both human and material. So this operation still creates problems for them in the future,” he said.
He added that the operation is already causing logistical problems.
“Because the military machine is very inertial, it is very heavy, and it is very difficult to turn around. And any sufficiently large-scale operation forces their logistics to be reworked. And this is difficult. And this may become evident. There are many factors, many components. So far, it’s too early to say whether it’s successful or unsuccessful, inept or brilliant—too little time has passed. Only a few weeks have passed since the beginning of this operation,” the MP emphasized.
