General Gurulev: "If the Ukrainian army had been preparing for two months, how did Russia not notice?"

The Russian army will not be able to push back the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), which have entrenched themselves in the Kursk region after breaching the state border on August 6, anytime soon, stated Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulev, a member of the State Duma's Defense Committee, News.az reports citing Moscow Times.

He noted that the UAF used "significant forces and means" for this offensive, and this must be taken seriously. "We need to look at the situation realistically; this is not a sabotage and reconnaissance group (SRG), we won't be able to drive them out quickly," Gurulev emphasized.

According to him, the Russian military has so far managed to halt the UAF's advance, but it is too early to relax. "This doesn't mean that it's quiet there; heavy fighting is ongoing. They are bringing reinforcements from their territory, the dynamics are intense, and the combat operations are continuous," Gurulev added.

He acknowledged that the goals and objectives of this operation are still unclear to him, but it can already be stated that a certain part of Russian territory is currently occupied by the forces of a neighboring state. "This is the reality," said the general, adding that "an unfortunate situation has developed where the enemy's future actions are not at all obvious."

Gurulev sees the main problem in the fact that the UAF's invasion "came as a surprise" to the Russian border defense group. "If the UAF had been preparing for this for two months, how did we not see it?" the general questioned. In his view, the command simply did nothing instead of taking measures in response to the concentration of troops near the border.

Ukraine organized the invasion of the Kursk region with the help of three brigades, totaling up to 10,000 soldiers, including some of the most equipped elite troops capable of operating both Soviet and Western equipment, according to Forbes.

Z-channels confirm that the Russian army has not yet been able to change the situation in its favor in the confrontation with the UAF. "The enemy continues to press and does so confidently in some areas, expanding the so-called gray zone," writes pro-military blogger Roman Alekhin.

According to him, "the most effective" Russian units are now "just trying to slow down the onslaught in certain areas by conducting tough sorties" to divert attention to themselves. "This cannot yet be called a counteroffensive, even with the aim of reaching our own borders. It seems that some people genuinely believe that we are dealing with just a few SRGs here, and that's why several groups of specialists are trying to fight against, essentially, a combined-arms army," Alekhin notes.

The Telegram channel "Two Majors" agrees with these assessments and reports on renewed fighting in Sudzha: "We are far from 'pushing back' the enemy, despite the introduction of our newly arrived units. The enemy is bringing in reserves. <...> The reserves are significant—another brigade has been reported."

According to the channel, the UAF is also increasing pressure south of Sudzha, along the Gornal—Guevo—Plekhovo line, but "they are not attacking head-on when met with resistance; instead, they are conducting a maneuver-based offensive operation."

Additionally, the Ukrainian military is using rocket weaponry against the rear areas of the Kursk region, occurring "up to 7 times a day," according to "Two Majors."

At present, fighting continues along the entire breach area, writes the Telegram channel "Rybar," which is close to the Ministry of Defense. "It is possible that in the coming days, the enemy will introduce a second echelon to expand the control zone and advance further east. So the main battles are still ahead," the channel concludes.

News.Az