One week into Ukraine’s counterstrike into Russia’s Kursk region, we still have only a hazy picture of what is happening on the ground and know still less about the operation’s aims.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing — if we don’t know, Russian decision makers may be having to guess, too, making their response that much more difficult.
A lot of analytical ink has been spilled on what the goals of Ukraine’s top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, and his boss, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, might be. Speculation ranges from replaying Syrskyi’s successful 2022 Kharkiv offensive to boost sagging morale at home, to making Russia divert forces to protect its the borders or grabbing territory to hold for exchange in future negotiations.