'Slow and scattered': NATO assesses Russia's reaction to events in Kursk Oblast
NATO believes that the Russian reaction to Ukrainian offensive actions in Kursk Oblast was "rather slow and scattered," stated the commander of the United States European Command, General Christopher Cavoli, according to the Voice of America.
"Russia is still putting together its reaction to Ukraine's invasion. So far it has been only a rather slow and scattered reaction," he said.
According to Cavoli, this reaction is related to the lack of understanding of who should be responsible for hostilities inside the Russian Federation, as well as the lack of free troops that Russia could deploy in Kursk Oblast.
He stressed that Russia does not have free forces to oppose the Ukrainian operation.
"The level of involvement and the share of Russian ground forces in Ukraine are very significant," Cavoli notes.
The units that remained in Russia are military conscripts, he noted and emphasized that the Russian authorities have transferred many air forces to Kursk Oblast, but it is not known how many ground forces will be involved.
Also answering questions about the state of the Ukrainian army, Cavoli noted that despite the problems faced by the Defense Forces, he was impressed by the innovations that Ukraine demonstrated in military, technical and tactical terms.
Read also: US General Hodges: Ukraine's operation in Kursk Oblast disproves the myth of 'red lines'
The Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast began on August 6, and the Ukrainian authorities did not officially comment on it for almost a week. On August 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially recognized its holding.
The head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that on August 13, Ukraine controls 74 settlements in Kursk Oblast. The president reported on hundreds of Russian prisoners there.
On August 13, US President Joe Biden publicly commented on the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast for the first time and noted that the situation "creates a real dilemma" for Putin.
On August 15, Ukraine created the first military commandant's office in Kursk Oblast. In general, since the beginning of the operation in the territory of the region, Ukrainian troops have advanced 35 km with battles, and taken control of 1,150 square kilometers of territory and 82 settlements, the army chief reported.