Growing tensions as Ukrainian forces advance in Kursk region
6:18 AM EDT, August 13, 2024
State Duma deputy and military commander Gen. Andrey Guruliov expressed outrage over the Russian army's approach towards the defense of the Kursk region. He asserted that the army should have been aware of the impending Ukrainian attack but admitted that in Russia, "no one likes the truth in reports."
On August 6, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Kursk region. Although the Russians initially claimed there were minor skirmishes on the border, it quickly became clear that the operation was extensive. The Ukrainians took over dozens of villages, and the Russian authorities were forced to evacuate over 100,000 people.
Member of the State Duma's defense committee, General Andrey Guruliov, criticized the approach to the defense of the Kursk region. He wrote on Telegram that his wife is from the region, so he went there to evacuate her family.
The military commander noted that he witnessed how minefields were set up in the region but emphasized that they were ineffective without fire cover.
"Who planned this? Who came up with this? This is a serious matter," he wrote.
"No one likes the truth"
"You can't plan such serious operations without our knowledge. I don't think they were unaware of the enemy's troop concentration," emphasized Guruliov.
"If you have preliminary data on the enemy, you probably need to think about what will happen. Unfortunately, the group covering the state border lacked its own reconnaissance capabilities. They were equipped with everything necessary only as a last resort," he wrote.
He also criticized the flow of information within the military. "No one here likes the truth in reports. Everyone wants to hear that everything is fine," he wrote.
The deputy believes that it is necessary to "review all issued directives, combat orders, and reports." He admitted that it might turn out there are no such documents. "No one wants to sign documents or take personal responsibility," he wrote.
Former military officer: Command assured everything was under control
Similar claims were made in an interview conducted by the portal "Important Stories" with a former commander of the Russian reconnaissance group. The soldier, who wished to remain anonymous, served in the army for ten years and participated in the invasion of Ukraine but refused to continue fighting. He stated that the Ukrainians had been conducting reconnaissance of border areas for six months, organizing "raids" during this process, similar to the famous March attack by Russian legions loyal to Ukraine in the Belgorod region.
"They conducted reconnaissance, made a map of the area, and checked the forces. Did anything change on our side in six months? No way," he described.
"For those on the front line, this breakthrough was not a surprise at all. They had long known that something like this would start sooner or later; the question was when. In response to all requests to the command, they were told, as usual: 'We have everything under control, intelligence reports nothing has been noticed,'" the military officer said.
Let us recall that the Telegram channel "WCzK-OGPU" reported that the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, received information about the impending attack from one of the generals. However, the commander accused him of "panicking" and assured him it was necessary "not to be fooled by enemy disinformation."
