Kursk operation didn’t force the enemy to redeploy troops from Pokrovsk, but it’s not over yet — Popovych

“The first thing is that this [operation in the Kursk region] is an offensive. We immediately see a shift in our morale and psychological state. It’s one thing to hear every day that the enemy is advancing in the Pokrovsk direction and we are holding them back, even retreating... ...> But now, we’re talking about prisoners, counting captured enemy territories, and discussing our advances,” Popovych said during a Radio NV broadcast.

According to Popovych, the second key aspect of this offensive is the leverage it provides in terms of both prisoners and territories:

“It’s one thing to enter negotiations holding no cards because of occupied territory, and it’s another when we have captured enemy territory. We can then say, ‘Dear friends or not-so-dear friends, the realities on the ground have changed. ...> We’ve taken your territory, so let’s base our discussions on these new facts.’”

He also mentioned another factor:

“The third point is the initiative. Both in terms of offensive actions and the fact that the Russians are forced to redeploy troops from other parts of the front to contain us in the Kursk region.”

Therefore, the expert concluded that the Kursk region and the Pokrovsk direction are separate matters:

“Unfortunately, our plan didn’t work in forcing the enemy to redeploy troops to Kursk Oblast from the Pokrovsk direction. But it’s not over yet. We can open a new front and force the Russians to redeploy troops there. This front could be on Ukrainian territory—either in the south or the east.”

On Aug. 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that a Defense Forces operation was underway in Kursk Oblast. He emphasized that the goal of the operation, which began on Aug. 6, is to liberate Ukraine’s border areas from Russian troops, who had been regularly shelling Sumy Oblast.

On Aug. 27, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian troops had taken control of 100 settlements—covering 1,294 square kilometers—in Kursk Oblast. However, he noted that the situation in the Pokrovsk direction remains challenging.

Syrskyi also stated that Russia has already redeployed about 30,000 troops to the Kursk front from Ukrainian territories.

The New York Times reported that Russia would likely need between 15 and 20 brigades—at least 50,000 troops—to expel Ukraine from Kursk Oblast, and currently, it does not have such numbers.