A quick CNN update on Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk oblast

The following strikes me as a decent enough primer on the Ukrainian offensive. It'll only take a few minute to view the video. Since there are a lot of folks (including - maybe especially - milbloggers) who have questioned what the Ukrainian military is up to and what would be gained by this mission should it succeed, hopefully some light is shed. Obviously only the civilian and military leadership of Ukraine know for sure what their objectives are, but getting an idea of the lay of the land and a map or two can give you an idea of what controlling railroad lines in Kursk could do to mess up Russian logistics. That in itself would be a good thing. To the extent Ukrainian troops treat residents in the occupied towns and villages well, that will undercut Russian propaganda claims about Ukrainians, which also strikes me as a good thing. Although not mentioned in this video, oblasts like Kursk and Belgorod have significant Ukrainian ethnic residents, and at one point, these oblasts - or portions of these oblasts - were once part of Ukraine proper. Here's the video:



 

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