On the 8th day of the operation on the mainland, a gain of 3km in a day
Claim of “Occupying 74 Villages in Kursk”
Military equipment marked with ‘△’… Semjom Operation Deployed
NYT “Success in ground battle through deception and gamble”,
Ukrainian military vehicles displaying ‘△’ markings move near the border with Russia in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine on the 13th, capturing about 40km² of Russian territory in 24 hours. Photo by AP via Newsis.,
, ‘Ukraine continues its relentless advance on the 8th day of the ground operation in Russian territory. The Ukrainian military claims to have currently occupied 74 villages in the Russian Kursk region, and analysis suggests that they have taken over an area that Russia occupied for 7 months in just one week. In the neighboring Belgorod region adjacent to the Kursk region, civilian casualties have occurred, leading Russia to declare a state of emergency.’,
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, ‘This ground operation by Ukraine, named the “counteroffensive,” is evaluated to be different from last year’s attacks that were not very effective. They have achieved the occupation of Russian territory with bold covert maneuvers, avoiding direct conflict with Russia. However, it is still expected to be challenging for them to gain a favorable position in peace negotiations on the Eastern Front.’,
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, ● “Ukraine Controls at Least 800km² of Russian Territory”,
, ‘According to Reuters, Ukrainian army chief of staff Oleksandr Syrskyi stated on the 13th that they advanced 3km more in a day, occupying an additional 40km² of Russian territory. AFP also reported that Ukraine controls at least 800km² of Russian territory based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in the US.’,
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, ‘According to CNN, the area of Russian territory Ukraine claims to have occupied (1000km²) is comparable to the territory Russia seized from Ukraine this year (1175km²). It is reported that around 200,000 residents have been displaced in Russia due to this ground operation.’,
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, ‘With Ukraine advancing in the Kursk region, a state of emergency has also been declared in the neighboring Belgorod region. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Telegram that homes were destroyed and civilian casualties occurred due to consecutive Ukrainian artillery attacks.’,
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, ‘It is noted in the analysis that Ukraine’s thorough maintenance of security played a crucial role in their success. Troop movements were disguised as drills, and some soldiers moved in civilian clothing instead of military uniforms. The soldiers involved in the operation did not receive their missions until a few days before the start of the ground operation, and even the US did not grasp the situation until the day after the attack began. The New York Times (NYT) assessed that the key to the success of Ukraine’s ground operation lies in deception and gamble. Bloomberg News stated, “Ukraine has considered various possibilities to shock Russia for a long time but did not share much of the operation progress with the West until a significant portion had been implemented.”‘,
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, ‘Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media on the 14th, “We have advanced 1-2km in the Kursk region and captured 100 Russian soldiers as prisoners.”‘,
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, ● “Peace Agreement Not Easy Due to Eastern Front Stalemate”,
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, ‘The marking of ‘△’ on the military equipment deployed by the Ukrainian military in the ground operation has also attracted attention. The British daily Telegraph reported that ‘△’ markings are engraved on all Ukrainian military equipment advancing into the Kursk region. This has led to some referring to this ground operation as the “Semjom Operation,” similar to when Russia invaded Ukraine and marked their desire for victory with a ‘Z.”,
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, ‘In a speech later on the same day, President Zelensky stated, “We have repeatedly proven that we can take control of the war” and revealed his intention to use these achievements to gain an advantage in negotiations, stating, “The more we destroy the Russian military in the border regions, the closer peace and security will be.” However, it is uncertain whether this advance by Ukraine will continue as desired. There are observations within Russia that the negotiations have derailed due to this attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the previous day, “How can we negotiate with those who attack civilians and threaten nuclear power plants?”‘,
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, ‘Despite the gains in the Kursk region, Ukraine still faces challenges on the Eastern Front, and some believe that this operation will not easily change the situation. The Financial Times of the UK explained, “Occupying some areas of Russia does not pose a real threat to Russia.”‘,
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