Russia restricts information about Kursk Oblast to avoid exchange of territories in case of negotiations, says ISW
Pravda Ukraine
The Institute for the Study of War reports that the Russian authorities are trying to limit information about the situation in Kursk Oblast to avoid the exchange of territories during potential peace talks.
Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
Details: Russian authorities are reportedly attempting to stop Russian bloggers talking about the current front line in Kursk Oblast, likely due to concerns that the West might pressure Russia into exchanging Russian territory for occupied Ukrainian land.
Several Russian bloggers, who regularly criticise the Russian military’s handling of the war in Ukraine, stated on 10 and 11 February that unidentified individuals had been urging Russian officials to charge them with discrediting the Russian military after they reported on recent Ukrainian troop advances southeast of Sudzha.
The bloggers claimed that the Russian military command was persecuting them for publishing information about successful Ukrainian strikes near Cherkaskaya Konopelka and Fanaseevka, with one blogger alleging that these Ukrainian attacks had forced the Russian military command to postpone planned offensives in the area.
Quote from the ISW: “The latter claim indicates that the Russian military command may have been planning to conduct an offensive operation to seize Sudzha, a prominent gas transit hub and the main town that Ukrainian forces control in Kursk Oblast.”
Details: Analysts suggest that the Russian military appears increasingly determined to tighten control over reporting regarding the situation in Kursk Oblast, as Zelenskyy continues to outline his intention to use Russian territory as leverage in future peace negotiations.
In an interview with The Guardian, Zelenskyy stated that he intends to use the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Kursk Oblast to facilitate the return of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory during upcoming peace talks with Russia.
Zelenskyy stressed the importance of reclaiming all occupied Ukrainian territories but did not specify which occupied regions he might consider exchanging for Russian land.
Experts note that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is likely seeking to expel Ukrainian defence forces from Kursk Oblast, or at the very least from Sudzha, before peace talks begin, in an effort to avoid the need to swap occupied Ukrainian territory for Russian territory.
To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 11 February:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to good faith peace negotiations with Russia and the particular importance of US military assistance to Ukraine’s security.
- Russian officials are reportedly attempting to constrain Russian milblogger reporting about the current frontline in Kursk Oblast, likely in response to concerns that the West will pressure Russia into trading Russian territory for occupied Ukrainian territory.
- Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery and reportedly struck Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast on the night of 10-11 February.
- The Kremlin may be setting informational conditions for possible false flag attacks in the Baltic Sea and against Russian opposition politicians living abroad in order to discredit Ukraine.
- Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk.
- Russian forces recently advanced near Borova, Lyman, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Velyka Novosilka, and Huliaipole.
- Russian regional authorities are reportedly reducing payments due to regional budget deficits for Russian soldiers who received minor injuries.
Support UP or become our patron!