Kursk standoff – who is lurking behind Ukraine’s back?

NATO officer instructs Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.
Photo: Keystone Press Agency

I can assume that the Ukrainian forces’ incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6 was a message sent by Kyiv to the Europeans that Kaliningrad is there, right under their noses. And again, we look back at the not so distant past, the siege of Leningrad, which they are trying to forget, believing that this time they will succeed. One must have completely forgotten history to try to once again conquer Russia – the world’s greatest storehouse of natural resources. But this time round they have decided to give up their own resources (weapons and money), and use the resources of Ukraine – its human resources, motivated by nationalism and hatred of Russia.

These resource need to be replenished, and this is exactly the reason why the European authorities are forcing their resident Ukrainian nationals to get back home. Exactly when this will happen depends on the intensity of the confrontation with Russia, on the interests of the United States, including in light of the upcoming presidential elections there. The fact that official representatives of European countries have long stated and keep stating now that they will not expel Ukrainians, who, as a labor resource, are contributing to the European countries’ economy, is quite understandable. In January 2024, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann went on record saying that German law does not allow the deportation of male Ukrainian refugees of draft age who may be called up for military service in Ukraine. [i] However, in October 2023, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the Kyiv authorities were looking for legal mechanisms to bring back and prosecute those liable for military service who had illegally left the country. His statement was echoed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who admitted that he would like to mobilize the Ukrainian citizens who had left the country. In Germany, meanwhile, the idea to deport draft-age Ukrainians has found its supporters, with a representative of the Christian Democratic Union in the Bundestag, Roderich Kiesewetter, welcoming the idea of returning Ukrainian men of conscription age to their homeland, stating that there are enough Ukrainian draft dodgers in Germany to create ten army divisions.

Not everyone agrees with Mr. Kiesewetter though. Poland, for example, regards Ukrainians working in the country as a serious labor force conducive to its economy: "In addition to the Ukrainians who resided in the country before the conflict, Poland has accepted about 950,000 more people since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Their contribution to GDP amounted to 0.7 to 1.1 percent last year." [ii] The benefit is obvious. For the initiators of the Ukrainian crisis, however, the benefit lies elsewhere. Their statements that "Ukrainians will not be extradited because this is a violation of their human rights” sound just as hypocritical as their earlier statements that "Germany will not supply lethal weapons," that "Ukraine will not be supplied with long-range weapons," that "Ukraine is not allowed to strike at Russian territory with long-range weapons." Everyone supplies, everyone allows, and Ukrainians of draft age will soon be extradited and sent to the eastern front. At the same time, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said that his country is ready to act in an “unplugged” mode. [iii] He said that Germany would continue to provide support for Kyiv [iv] even if Donald Trump gets re-elected as US President and decides to cut off that aid. He added that the withdrawal of US assistance would certainly leave a mark but could also inspire the rest of the allies to work "even more closely" on the matter.

Robert Habeck pledged further aid for Ukraine and said that Germany would continue to support Ukraine without any “buts” and “ifs”.

Here is just one of the most recent German deliveries to Kyiv: an IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system, 14,000 155mm artillery shells, 10 unmanned surface vehicles and 26 VECTOR reconnaissance drones complete with spare parts, mine disposal equipment, six all-terrain excavators and a Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicle with spare parts, 700 Haenel MK 556 assault rifles, 240 HLR 338 rifles, 240,000 artillery shells, 50 CR 308 rifles and 55,000 first aid kits. [v]

At the same time, global players in control of the financial markets are trying to encourage the militarization of Germany. Following a surprise August 17 report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper about Germany planning to almost halve its military aid to Ukraine (from €7.48 billion in 2024 to €4 billion in 2025. By 2027 the figure is expected to be down to €500 million), on August 19, The Wall Street Journal reported that shares of the German defense concern Rheinmetall had dropped 4.5 percent. [vi] It was a clear message to the Germans from Washington: gentlemen, you do not understand, you will only profit if you fight. Come to your senses...

Work is also going on the ideological front, hence the exaltation among the military and experts over the "Ukrainian successes in the Kursk region." This is what Bundeswehr General Christian Freuding, who heads the working group for coordinating aid to Kyiv at the German Defense Ministry, said about the invasion of the Kursk region: “Since August 6, the Ukrainian troops have been attacking Russia on four directions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have deployed four brigades to this operation, between 4,000 and 6,000 men… And now, according to our estimates, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are operating in, but not controlling, an area of about 1,000 square kilometers. That is why this is interesting. This gives us a good perspective.” [vii]

The question is, who are “us? NATO plus Kyiv? At the same time, General Freuding “just came from Ukraine,” where, as one can guess, he could have enjoyed watching a video of the invasion of mercenaries and Ukrainian Nazis, imitating the soldiers of the Third Reich with Nazi symbols on their helmets and uniforms.

I see this as an attempt at historical revenge by the spiritual heirs of the Third Reich. They are implementing this both ideologically and in practice within the framework of the Ukrainian crisis. And paradoxically, within the framework of the Israeli crisis. Berlin actively supports Israel's actions in the war against Hamas, explaining this by Germany's exclusive responsibility to the Jewish people and the Jewish State: "Germany stands unwaveringly on the side of Israel" - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said these words in his address made in the wake of the October 7 on Israel by Hamas militants. This statement determined Berlin's further policy towards the Jewish State during the conflict. (…) The main motive for German actions is the fulfillment of its historical obligations "in maintaining Israel's security and existence in difficult times. (…) German military supplies to Israel have spiked since the Hamas attack: while in 2022 the German arms exports to Israel amounted to 32 million euros, in 2023 the figure increased almost tenfold, exceeding 300 million euros."[viii] However, Berlin’s migration policy has led to pro-Palestinian protests inside the country, something politicians and media personalities speculate on, while criticism of Israel is presented as anti-Semitism. The latter is presented as an excuse for reiterating the Germans’ sense of collective guilt for the Holocaust. In fact, it is about supporting genocide. Eventually, they will just say that every nation makes mistakes: the Germans - the Holocaust, the Jews - the Gaza Strip.

When it comes to the Ukrainian crisis, Germany is acting even more openly. Suffice it to quote the enthusiastic words by Bundeswehr General Christian Freuding about the Ukrainian invasion "giving us a good perspective" that I mentioned before. What are these prospects? In short, the formula looks like this: sanctions pressure + Ukrainian terror + burden of military expenses. The same old story, isn’t it?

The confrontation with Russia must go on and on, this is what the aforementioned general thinks, this is how he understands the situation. This is what the big shots in Washington think, and this is why the Kursk raid is happening, where a horde of Ukrainians and mercenaries invaded Russia from the West.

The "fog of war" can hide war crimes for quite some time, sometimes even until the war itself is over. The very presence of foreign journalists draggling at the heels of the Ukrainian Nazis who broke into the Kursk region means that they are trying to demonstrate that this is a "normal situation." The news people are doing their job, but the Russian Foreign Ministry sees this whole situation quite differently. Its official spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, described the Western media’s activity as evidence of their direct involvement in the large-scale hybrid aggression against Russia: “…The goal of the media “landing” on Russian territory occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces is “to protect the criminal Kyiv regime, conceal the crimes it is committing against the civilian population, to further destabilize the information environment and manipulate public opinion, rehabilitate Nazism and create the necessary background for the West to continue supporting the terrorist Kyiv clique.” [ix]

The Western journalists’ presence among the Ukrainian invasion forces is the most important symptom of the West’s policy in its confrontation with Russia. Disgusting wordplay, Jesuit rhetoric, cynically irresponsible statements referring to the ideals of democracy and “rules,” lies elevated to a principle – this is all done with just one goal in mind - to confront Russia without bearing any responsibility for this, hiding behind assistance to Ukraine, its imaginary independence both in actions and in decision-making.

The invasion of the Kursk region only confirms this. Washington has long denied that they knew about the invasion, although, according to experts, it is carried out fully in line with NATO rulebooks, and based on AI modeling, intelligence, monitoring, and communications support from the West. Volodymyr Zelensky tried to distance the West from the invasion, while cynically justifying the need for the supply of long-range weapons and permission for their use deep into Russian territory: “If Western countries had lifted all existing restrictions on the use of weapons on Russian territory, there would have been be no need to conduct an operation in the Kursk region,” he said. [x]

However, adviser to Zelensky’s chief of staff, Mykhailo Podolyak, disavowed those in the US and the EU who deny their participation in planning the Kursk invasion with the following boastful statement: “The West knew that we were preparing an attack on the Kursk region.” In an interview with The Independent, he said, “There are certain things that need to be done with an element of surprise, and they need to happen at the local level. But there were discussions between partners, just not at the public level." [xi]

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov minced no words describing the situation: Zelensky would have never decided to attack the Kursk region if the US had not instructed him to do so. Claims that Kyiv disobeyed someone and launched an attack on the Kursk region are childish babble. [xii]

For the Americans, the principle of “anything goes” is being implemented remotely – Washington has given Kyiv the go-ahead to use American weapons to strike targets in the Kursk region. According to the Pentagon deputy spokesperson, Sabrina Singh: “Our approaches allow Ukraine to launch counterattacks to defend against Russian attacks from border regions that include Kursk (Kursk region. - Ed.) and Sumy (Sumy region. - Ed.).” [xiii] The Pentagon, acting on instructions from the White House, finally described the incursion into the Kursk region using US-made weapons as “self-defense.” They still intend to present their participation in the fighting in the Ukrainian crisis as indirect assistance in the form of weapons targeting, providing satellite intelligence, etc.

As for permission/non-permission to use weapons on Russian territory – a sensitive issue for the Americans - the ATACMS missiles are planned for use in Crimea, not Kursk. Washington also remains reluctant to let Ukraine use long-range weapons provided by the United States in Kursk, several officials said. The reason is not the risk of escalation, but the limited supply of long-range missiles, known as ATACMS, in the US itself, so they believe they should rather be used against targets in Crimea. [xiv]

Crimea has long been a desired strategic foothold for the West, which is why Russia acted preemptively in 2014. They see Crimea as a desirable target for attacks on the Crimean Bridge, the fleet, military facilities and energy infrastructure. Such attacks have been carried out and continue to be carried out - on August 22, a ferry heading to Crimea with 30 fuel tanks on board was damaged by a missile strike in the port of Kavkaz and sank. [xv]

This is one of the goals of the Ukrainian raid on the Kursk region. Europeans must understand that Ukraine needs to be given money and weapons, it requires two-pronged help with human resources: the expulsion of Ukrainians to their homeland and sending in mercenaries. Because otherwise the West will have to fight itself - this is how the West is actually being prepared for war, even though it is unlikely that European public opinion is ready to fight themselves. However, those who ordered the conflict have no interest in a stronger Europe and peace in Eurasia. What they want is rebooting their economy, their sales markets, and getting access to Russia’s natural wealth.

The views of the author are his own and may differ from the position of the Editorial Board.

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[i] https://ria.ru/20240106/germaniya-1919925461.html

[ii] https://news-front.su/2024/08/20/zapad-otkazalsya-vydavat-ukrainskih-grazhdan-zelenskomu-bloomberg/

[iii] “unplugged” in English literally means what it implies; in music it means acoustic performance, in international politics it stands for initiating the implementation of interests of other countries, of global players.

[iv] https://ria.ru/20240821/ukraina-1967486736.html

[v] https://www.interfax.ru/world/977120

[vi] https://tass.ru/ekonomika/21635151

[vii] https://t.me/skabeeva/30566

[viii] https://russiancouncil.ru/analytics-and-comments/columns/sandbox/politika-istoricheskoy-otvetstvennosti-germanii-pered-izrailem/

[ix] https://tass.ru/politika/21639125

[x] https://www.rbc.ru/politics/19/08/2024/66c3806f9a7947c6cedae4d2

[xi] https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/21610153

[xii] https://tass.ru/politika/21638219

[xiii] https://ria.ru/20240822/oruzhie-1967913363.html

[xiv] https://ria.ru/20240815/ssha-1966494018.html

[xv] https://ria.ru/20240822/parom-1967875940.html