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Home / Ukraine-Russia / Ukraine’s Kursk offensive is a huge strategic error
Ukraine‑Russia, Russia, Ukraine

August 18, 2024

Ukraine’s Kursk offensive is a huge strategic error

By Andrew Latham

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proven himself a master of the political stage, a gifted orator capable of stirring emotions and garnering global support. However, his recent military incursion into Russia marks a departure from the realm of diplomacy and into the territory of strategic blunder.

This reckless gambit, more akin to a desperate stunt worthy of a second-rate actor than a seasoned statesman, diverts critical resources from the primary battlefield while offering negligible strategic gain.

While the incursion has captured headlines and inflicted some measure of psychological damage on Russia, such superficial victories do little to alter the fundamental dynamics of the conflict. Russia, despite its setbacks, remains a formidable military power with a vast arsenal and a nuclear deterrent. Ukraine, while demonstrating courage and resilience, faces a daunting challenge in overcoming this overwhelming disparity.

More critically, this diversion of forces from the main theater of war is a huge strategic miscalculation. Every soldier, tank and piece of artillery deployed in the Russian incursion represents a loss to the Ukrainian effort to liberate occupied territories. These resources, if concentrated on the front lines, could potentially yield tangible gains, weakening Russian defenses and creating opportunities for decisive breakthroughs.

Read at The Hill

Author

Photo of Andrew Latham

Andrew
Latham

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

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