The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase after the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk region. For the first time since World War II, foreign troops – Ukrainian in this case – crossed the international border with the Russian Federation and managed to penetrate at least 30 kilometers into the Kursk province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 175,000 Russian citizens have been removed from the area, there have been many prisoners and casualties among Moscow’s troops. A Russian armored phalanx has been completely destroyed and nearly 30 towns have fallen to the Ukrainian army, which controls around 1,000 square kilometers, according to figures from Kiev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ukrainian invasion certainly showed how vulnerable Russia’s land border defenses were, but it also forced Moscow to slow its advance into the Donbass, moving troops to Kursk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ukrainian operation is also important in terms of war propaganda, as it conveys the war and its effects on infrastructure and population inside Russia. He could also head for the neighboring province of Belgorod, giving the Ukrainians a strong card for a negotiation in which Kiev can trade territory with Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Powerful symbolism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ukrainian offensive is not only aimed at seizing Russian territory \u2013 it should also be seen as a major insult by the Kremlin, because the city of Kursk symbolizes a historical myth. The Battle of Kursk in 1943 finally sealed the defeat of the Nazi troops after Stalingrad, as German historian Roman Topel explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the Soviet Union and also for today’s Russia, Kursk has a huge symbolic significance and this is naturally connected to the Second World War, which is still called in Russia the \u201cGreat Patriotic War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to official Russian historiography, there were three decisive battles of World War II: These were the Battle of Moscow in 1941, the Battle of Stalingrad in early 1942, and Kursk in 1943.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kursk also has this huge symbolic importance because it is considered the largest tank battle of World War II, as more than 10,000 tanks and 7,000 aircraft collided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To this day, the Russians are particularly proud of the fact that they managed to stop the Wehrmacht in a summer offensive for the first time at Kursk and inflict a heavy defeat on the Nazis. Because until then everyone thought that the Russians were invincible only in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Confusion in the Kremlin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From the Russian point of view, it is the first time since the “Great Patriotic War” that enemy troops have entered their own territory. The fact that this is now happening in the Kursk region is on the one hand a huge embarrassment, but on the other hand it could have a motive. The Russian slogan now is: “We have already defeated the enemy fascists and now we will do it again with the “Ukrainian Nazis”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n