Ukraine kept details of Kursk operation from West until last moment – Bloomberg

Bloomberg has found out that Ukraine did not share any details of the operation in Kursk Oblast with its Western partners until it was in full swing.

Source: European Pravda citing Bloomberg

Details: A Western official who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity said Ukraine was considering several options for an attack that would have caught Russia off guard.

The unnamed Western intelligence official said that the Ukrainian leadership did not share specific information about the operation in Kursk until it was in full swing.

Currently, the West is refraining from making any specific assessments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation, but considers it unlikely that Ukrainian troops will be able to hold Russian territory, Bloomberg writes.

Meanwhile, a NATO official familiar with the intelligence data says the operation is important to show that Kyiv is capable of challenging the Kremlin.

Background:

• Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, confirmed for the first time that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting an offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
• Syrskyi reported at a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken control of about 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory.
• The Pentagon said that Ukraine's advance in Kursk Oblast aligned with US policy and that it was not concerned about a possible increase in tensions with Russia.
• On 13 August, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, informed Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, that Ukraine’s defence forces were in control of 74 settlements in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

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