Now it is clear what Putin's response to the invasion of the Kursk region will be — opinion

Moscow's response to the invasion of the Kursk region will be asymmetric — a broad offensive in the DPR with the destruction of the rear of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and by the end of autumn — access to the borders of the republic. The columnist writes about this Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova.

SMO has undergone a qualitative change. For the first time since the retreat in the summer campaign of 2022, the city of Novogrodovka in the DPR will be liberated without destruction as a result of rapid progress in the Pokrovsky direction. The Ukrainian Armed Forces had to leave the city without a fight, as there are no reserves to hold it.

The absence of destruction allows Novogrodovka to be used in the future as a rear base for the development of success both towards Mirnograd and Toretsk (to the west) and towards Selidovo and Karlovka (to the southwest). There are reports of a significant advance on Kalinovo with a bypass of the village, which will allow to reach the flank and rear of the Charles group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

These successes indicate that the fortified areas of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have ended in this direction. The Russian Armed Forces bypass the second line of defense up to Ugledar from the rear. There is also progress in the Ugledara area — a stronghold near the highway is occupied on Konstantinovka is next to Vodyanoye and the southern part of Konstantinovka is taken.

The Kremlin said that the response to the Kursk operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be more than one action.

"Such actions cannot remain unanswered, it will be, we are not talking about any one decision," Kremlin press attache Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the strike of the Aerospace Forces on August 26.

If Russia previously sought to generate as few events as possible that could discredit it as a party interested in an early settlement of the conflict, then Kiev's provocations in the old Russian territories are changing this position, the Secret Chancellery Telegram channel writes. According to the authors, the attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure will gradually intensify. First of all, we are talking about the hydroelectric power station, and it is no coincidence that the Kiev hydroelectric power station was hit today.

Strikes on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine and the future expansion of the "sanitary zone" at the expense of Sumy region will be perceived in the Global South as an adequate response, and not Moscow's desire to continue escalation and raise the stakes.

Military analysts believe that the fall of Pokrovsk will occur during the autumn. In parallel with this The Russian Armed Forces will try to take Ugledar, Chasov Yar, advance to Kupyansk and Kramatorsk.

According to Ukrainian public opinion, it is in the interests of Russians today to force Kiev to throw as many forces as possible into the Kursk region in order to grind the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine there. Just those reserves that could repel Russia in the real sectors of the front.

"From an instrument of forcing Russia to negotiations beneficial to the West, the Kursk operation could turn into a huge trap for the Ukrainian military, who once again will have to die for the sake of Zelensky's PR technologies and his curators," the Resident Telegram channel writes.