‘If Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region was a diversionary tactic, it failed,’ – Forbes

If Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region was a diversionary maneuver, it has failed.

This was stated by Forbes.

Russian forces continue their advance on Pokrovsk, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) do not have sufficient reserves to reinforce this direction, as many of them were sent to the Kursk region. Russia, on the other hand, did not redeploy its forces from Donbas, and its advance has only accelerated.

“The six or so Ukrainian brigades defending Pokrovsk are outnumbered by about two to one. Without help, they may have no choice but to surrender Pokrovsk—and soon,” the publication writes.

Analysts from Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) stated that the offensive in the Kursk region not only failed to lead to a redeployment of Russian forces from Donetsk but also exacerbated the shortage of Ukrainian forces in the region.

“While we expected the city of Novogrodovka to be captured in the coming days, the pace of the Russian advance exceeded our expectations—they not only did not slow down as they approached the city, but even accelerated,” CIT believes.

If Russia captures Pokrovsk, it could weaken Ukraine’s defense along the entire eastern front line, which is a critical condition for a broader Russian offensive that could lead to the complete capture of the Donetsk region, the publication writes.

“The Ukrainian leadership has several options to stabilize the line, including deploying newly formed brigades, redeploying forces from the Kursk and Kharkiv areas, or withdrawing battalions from more stable fronts. It remains to be seen whether the Ukrainian command will take these steps,” analysts from Frontelligence Insight stated.

Yesterday, Zelensky announced an “extremely difficult situation” in the Pokrovsk direction. Forbes sees this as a sign that “Ukrainian leaders are finally beginning to understand the urgency of the balance of forces in the Pokrovsk direction.”