[Tee tiong huat]

Russians threw themselves forward in a desperate attempt to break the Ukrainian defense in the Kursk salient. However, Ukrainians launched a devastating air strike on the main Russian forward operating base, cutting the head off the snake and scattering the Russian efforts, bombing the remaining infantry till none were left to continue the assaults. For months, Russian forces have been trying to retake all lost territories in the Kursk region, aiming not just to erase Ukraine’s recent gains, but to push them back across the border completely. Their goal is clear: they cannot afford to continue to have a sizable portion of Russian land controlled by Ukraine.

Ukrainian-held territories in Kursk are not just a battlefield but a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations. As long as Ukrainian forces remain in Russia, even on a relatively small scale, Ukraine holds a psychological and diplomatic advantage. The longer this situation drags on, the more damaging it becomes for Russian political and military leadership, which cannot convincingly claim military dominance while Ukrainian troops hold ground inside Russian borders. To rectify this, Russian forces have launched repeated large-scale assaults all over the Kursk salient, attempting to overwhelm Ukrainian positions with sheer numbers. However, most of these attacks fail before making any meaningful gains. Even when Russian forces do manage to capture ground, it is often minimal and against heavy casualties.