It is “astonishing” that there has been no significant Russian response to the Kursk invasion 10 days on from Ukraine’s surprise attack, an ex-UN chief has said.
Mark Malloch Brown, former deputy secretary-general of the organisation, said it’s likely Russia will soon launch a major deployment of troops to push back Ukrainian forces – but the invasion has revealed the internal “cumbersomeness” of Russia’s “top-down” military.
“[It has] incredible difficulty responding flexibly and quickly to a challenge from any kind of threat,” he told Sky News.
“And so it’s astonishing that we’re into the second week of this, and there hasn’t been evidence yet of a major Russian redeployment of troops to push the Ukrainians back.”
He added that he was sure such a move would come, but by then the Ukrainians “may have had the opportunity to dig themselves in to a point that it becomes a permanent feature of an otherwise barely moving frontline”.
Mr Brown said he also believed Kyiv was “deliberately obfuscating” about what its aim was through the Kursk invasion.
“Is it to permanently hold it? Is it to change the dynamics of any ceasefire and peace negotiation? Is it to penetrate deeper, to put even more of a threat on Moscow? They are very deliberately, I think, not being explicit about this incursion’s aims,” he said.
More than half of Ukraine under air raid alert
Much of Ukraine is under an air raid alert this morning.
The alerts warning of possible attacks – issued several minutes ago – cover several regions and the capital city of Kyiv.
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