Ukraine-Russia. “Le Figaro”: this is the first such attack since 1941, not sabotage, but a new direction of action

Ukrainians took over at least three towns in Kursk Oblast on Wednesday, local media reported the same day. Information about the offensive was confirmed on Thursday by the president's advisor Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolak.

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In recent months, and especially last spring, Ukrainians have had additional difficulties due to the Russian attack on the Kharkiv region. Although the aggressors have not managed to penetrate deeper into Ukraine, it is another burden on the already strained Ukrainian army, noted the French daily Le Figaro.

The newspaper writes that the Ukrainian offensive in depth Russia is the first direct attack on this country since 1941. The operation of Ukrainian troops launched on Wednesday in the Kursk region is not an attempt at sabotage, but a new direction of action – we read.

The French daily suggested that the operation in the Kursk region could be an attempt to force the Russians to transfer troops to this region in order to relieve the defenders on other front lines, and perhaps even try to retake the territories occupied by the Russians.

There is also a possibility that the operation is to be a “showcase” and to give the impression that after months of difficult situations, the Ukrainians are once again in control of the course of events on the front. “The idea for (this attack) is to show that the Ukrainians are still brave, dangerous and not just in retreat,” said an anonymous representative of the French army. As the daily noted, the Kursk region is poorly protected compared to the Donetsk area, where the heaviest fighting is taking place.

The occupation of part of the Kursk region could also be a bargaining chip for Ukraine, Le Figaro assessed, because it could result in a possible victory Donald Trump in the elections in USA could lead to peace talks, which the Ukrainian president also mentioned Volodymyr Zelensky.

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At the same time, experts remind us that, like any offensive, it may be very costly for the Ukrainian army. The Russians will engage all their forces, and the most dangerous for Ukrainian armored vehicles is the numerous enemy aircraft – wrote “Le Figaro”. The photos analyzed by the newspaper already show the losses that the Ukrainians suffered in those first days.

An anonymous representative of the French army quoted by the daily summed up the latest events as follows: at first glance, “one might think that this step by the Ukrainians is madness. It could all end in failure, unless they have some specific goal that we do not see”