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Just when the Russian-Ukrainian conflict seemed to be in a stalemate, Russia suddenly launched a large-scale evacuation operation in Kursk Oblast, affecting more than 3,000 square kilometers and more than 50 villages and towns. Such a move can't help but conjure up the worst-case scenario.
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Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the war has continued to spread in Ukraine, and Ukraine's towns, infrastructure and people have suffered huge losses. Russia, on the other hand, has always adhered to its strategic goals and constantly strengthened its defensive line.
Recently, Ukraine tried to change the tide of the war and launched a surprise attack in the Kursk region, targeting the Kursk nuclear power plant, the core strategic facility of the Russian army.
This move by Ukraine is clearly aimed at forcing Russia to retreat, weakening its combat capabilities, and even hoping to hit Russia's power and logistics supply by cutting off core nodes such as nuclear power plants.
However, Ukraine's actions soon encountered a strong counterattack, Russia's defense in the Kursk region was not empty, and the Ukrainian army's surprise attack was not only unsuccessful, but quickly fell into passivity.
In mid-September, the Russian army launched a counteroffensive against the Ukrainian army from the east and west, recovering 230 square kilometers of lost territory and regaining control of 20 settlements in a short time. Ukraine had hoped to turn the tide with this raid, but judging by the results, the cost of the battle was extremely heavy.
Zelensky also disclosed that the Ukrainian army lost about 13,000 soldiers in the fighting at Kursk. This set of figures illustrates the extent of the failure of the Ukraine raid and also reveals the strength of the Russian counterattack. The battle for Kursk is not just a tactical defeat for Ukraine, but also a strategic wrestling between the two sides.
As the fighting for Kursk gradually heated up, Ukraine's army had to switch to other tactics, and after losing on the frontal battlefield, Ukraine began to strike at the rear of Russia by drones. The drones attacked not only ammunition depots in the Kursk region, but also other strategic facilities in the Tver region and Krasnodar. Ukraine's goal is clear: to weaken the Russian army's combat capabilities on the front line by destroying its logistical supply system.
The drone attack has put unprecedented pressure on Russia's air defense system. Although the Russian army announced that it had shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones, these small, portable drones still frequently cause damage in Russia. Important ammunition depots in the rear of the Russian army have been damaged one after another, and explosions in Kursk, Tver and other places have dealt a serious blow to the supply chain of the Russian army.
What is even more disturbing is that as Ukraine's attacks on targets in Russia increased, the Russian side suddenly launched a large-scale evacuation operation of residents in Kursk Oblast. Within days, more than 5,700 residents were urgently evacuated from the border areas, with the Ryriskk and Khomutovka districts of the Kursk region being the main areas of the evacuation, which are less than 15 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border and are clearly on the front lines of the war.
The Russia government said the evacuation was to protect local residents from attacks by Ukrainian forces. But most people are generally skeptical that there is something else going on in Russia's large-scale evacuation. After all, the shadow of nuclear weapons has always hung over this conflict, and since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia has repeatedly stated that it does not rule out the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons once national security is threatened.
The Kursk region is very close to the strategic core of Russia, and the surprise attack of the Ukrainian army has clearly touched a sensitive nerve in Russia. The abrupt evacuation sparked speculation about the use of nuclear weapons. Is Russia ready to use tactical nuclear weapons in the Kursk region? This is not only about the direction of the Russia-Ukraine war, but also about the security situation in Europe as a whole.
While there is no conclusive evidence that Russia will use nuclear weapons in the Kursk region, a series of military developments have unnerved the international community. What kind of military plans are hidden behind Russia's large-scale evacuation operation? There may not be a definitive answer to this question anytime soon, but the possibility of nuclear war has become the focus of global attention.
Ukraine also faces difficulties with Western aid, and although Ukraine has received a large number of advanced weapons from United States and Europe, including the American-made Seahorse rocket system and the European Storm Shadow cruise missile, the use of these weapons remains severely limited. Due to range limitations, the Ukrainian army's long-range strike capabilities cannot cover Russia itself and can only operate in the eastern region of Ukraine.
Putin has made it clear that if NATO lifts the range restrictions on these weapons, it means a direct war with Russia. This statement undoubtedly put enormous pressure on NATO, which must find a balance between supporting Ukraine and avoiding direct conflict with Russia. Once the range limit on long-range missiles is lifted, Russia may see it as a direct attack on its homeland and take more drastic countermeasures.
This situation complicates Ukraine's situation. The defeat of the Ukrainian army in Kursk, the infiltration attacks of drones and the limitations of long-range strike capabilities have put Ukraine in a difficult situation on the battlefield. Whether Western countries' assistance to Ukraine is sufficient and whether it will break through Russia's "red line" has also become the key to determining the future direction of the war.
This war is not just a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, it has evolved into the focus of global attention as the scope of the battlefield has expanded and the means of warfare have escalated.
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