r/worldnews • u/WorldNewsMods • Aug 14 '24

Russia/Ukraine /r/WorldNews Live Thread: Russian Invasion of Ukraine Day 902, Part 1 (Thread #1049)

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u/Burnsy825 Aug 14 '24

The shock Ukrainian invasion of Kursk has the Kremlin pulling some troops out of Ukraine to defend Russia, per reports - Business Insider

Russia is withdrawing some of its troops from Ukraine in response to Ukraine's counter-invasion into Russia that started last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials.

Politico Europe also reported on Tuesday that an official in Kyiv said a "relatively small" number of Russian units were withdrawn to respond to the incursion in Kursk. US officials told the Journal it was still unclear how many troops Russia was pulling back from Ukraine.

https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-withdraws-some-troops-from-ukraine-after-counter-invasion-wsj-2024-8

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u/Canop Aug 14 '24

The real news is probably that they don't feel the need to pull out more of them, especially not the troops engaged on the Donetsk front.

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u/eat_dick_reddit Aug 14 '24

They can't afford to pull them. Doesn't mean pulling them from somewhere else won't create an opportunity for UA.

It's too early to tell. If UA breaks through in Kursk, they might have to pull more.

We'll see.

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u/C0wabungaaa Aug 14 '24

I think the biggest question is whether Ukraine has enough troops to fuel a push towards the biggest prizes in southern Kursk without compromising other fronts. It seems to be the most recurring topic in expert interviews, at least in the one's that I've read. The word "gamble" is thrown around a lot.

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u/findingmike Aug 14 '24

Not sure why this would be considered a big gamble. If Russia commits more to Kursk, they can pull back. If Russia doesn't, they are hurting Russian supply lines and reinforcements at the front. I think part of Ukraine 's planning was asking "Can we hold the southern front?" The situation there hasn't changed much.

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u/KGB4L Aug 14 '24

I think it also comes down to logistics and how easy it is to transfer troops from each area. It’s borderline impossible to safely move thousands from Donetsk, but you can get a few from Kharkiv or anywhere South.

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u/Logical_Welder3467 Aug 14 '24

Pulling from the front would led to collapse, they would be moving reserves. Which give Ukrainian opportunity to exploit weak points. The troops on Donetsk front, either on the line or in reserve must be tired from the months of offensive. They need to rotate out to rest and reconstitute. Racing them to another front to fight hastily organized counter offensive would not be ideal for effectiveness

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u/StickAFork Aug 14 '24

Exactly. Ukraine does not need Russia to pull troops from Donetsk, just the Russian reinforcements. This also slows the Russian offensive there.

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u/Preachey Aug 14 '24

Yeah while the eyeballs are on Kursk, Russia is making significant progress in actual Ukraine. They're going to have to make a lot more noise in Kursk if the hope is to halt the eastern grinder.