International

Russia pushes on key Ukraine city while Kyiv’s Kursk incursion slows

Published

2 months ago

September 1, 2024

Ukraine currently controls the Russian town of Sudzha

Russia pushes on key Ukraine city while Kyiv’s Kursk incursion slows

Russia has made sweeping advances in recent days that threaten to outweigh the gains made by Ukraine in its cross-border attack into the Kursk region.

Russian forces are just a few kilometres from the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a crucial logistics hub used by the Ukrainian military.

Home to a key railway station and major roads, Pokrovsk is an essential supply and reinforcement point for Ukraine’s troops on the eastern front line.

Critics in Kyiv fear that the country’s military has made a serious miscalculation.

By sending troops into Kursk instead of reinforcing the eastern frontline, the military has left Pokrovsk and other important Ukrainian towns exposed, these critics say.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On a visit to the front line, Ukraine’s armed forces chief Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia was throwing “everything that can move” into its assault.

“The situation is extremely difficult,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded on Wednesday.

“If we lose Pokrovsk,” military expert Mykhaylo Zhyrokhov warned, “the entire front line will crumble.”

Why Pokrovsk matters

Pokrovsk is next to another town, Myrnohrad. Together, the two settlements had a pre-war population of over 100,000, most of whom have now fled. They are the last major cities in that part of the Donetsk region that remain under Ukrainian control.

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The battle for Pokrovsk is really a continuation of the battle for Avdiivka, which Ukraine lost in February after months of bloody fighting.

Avdiivka, which is about 40km (25 miles) south-east of Pokrovsk, was seen as a fortress that protected the settlements and roads to its west – helping to bolster Ukraine’s presence along the entire frontline.

When it finally fell, Avdiivka was left in ruins. It was a serious loss for Ukraine.

It meant that Russia could move its focus to Pokrovsk and the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar, which overlooks some of the important cities in Donetsk still under Ukrainian control. Intense fighting there on Saturday left five people dead.

For weeks now a mass evacuation of Ukrainian civilians from Pokrovsk has been under way, with thousands said to have left already.

Gen Syrskyi said he was working “to strengthen the defence of our troops in the most difficult areas of the front, to provide the brigades with a sufficient amount of ammunition and other material and technical means”.

How Russia’s advance gathered speed

Russia has long held Pokrovsk as one of its key objectives. For months its forces have slowly ground towards it.

Experts believe Moscow has deployed around one third of its Central Army Group, or about 30,000 troops, to the offensive – as well as its most battle-ready reserves.

This week, it took the Ukrainian town of Novohrodivka, infuriating some in Ukraine who felt it should have been better defended.

“The trenches in front of Novohrodivka were empty. There was practically no Ukrainian army in the once 20,000-strong city,” Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla wrote on Facebook.

With its forces undermanned and outnumbered, it is believed the Ukrainian military withdrew from Novohrodivka to strengthen its defence of Pokrovsk.

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“The Ukrainian command likely deemed the defence of Novohrodivka not worth the potential losses,” said the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Elsewhere, Russian forces have launched assaults on the town of Selidove, just south of Novohrodivka, and other areas of the Donetsk region nearby.

The Russian offensive has been helped by a shift in tactics, which are increasingly mirroring those used earlier in the war by the Wagner mercenary group.

Ukrainian forces report coming up against wave after wave of Russian infantry sent forwards in an attempt to storm their positions.

Some have dubbed these tactics “meat assaults”.

The tactics – though costly – quickly exhaust Ukrainian units forced to fend off constant attacks.

Armoured vehicles are used sparingly – complicating the task of Ukrainian tanks and artillery, which have little to aim at on the battlefield.

Russia has also been using powerful glide bombs, forcing Ukraine to disperse its units when shelling begins and sometimes even withdraw troops from the front line.

Meanwhile, the progress of Ukraine’s landmark cross-border offensive has slowed considerably in the past week.

Sudzha – the largest settlement Ukraine has captured inside Russia – has a population of around 5,000, which is three times less than that of Novohrodivka, the settlement Russia captured earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s commander in chief said that Kyiv’s forces had taken 1,294 sq km (500 sq miles) of territory inside Kursk, including 100 settlements – and captured 594 Russian soldiers in the process.

These figures should be treated with caution, but they are no doubt significant. The question is whether they will justify the potential losses on Ukraine’s eastern frontline.

“One of the objectives of the offensive operation in the Kursk direction was to divert significant enemy forces from other directions, primarily from the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions,” Gen Syrskyi said on Tuesday.

But that objective appears to have failed. Russian forces have not been redeployed from the Pokrovsk frontline.

On the contrary they’ve been strengthened by additional troops and their advance has quickened.

Russia pushes on key Ukraine city while Kyiv’s Kursk incursion slows

Related Topics:Kyiv's Kursk Russia Ukraine

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Two employees of Givaudan sense colour, a factory known for making colourings for beverages, located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US) were killed in an explosion that took place at the company’s facility.

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Louisville Mayor, Craig Greenberg stated that firefighters managed to rescue and evacuate numerous individuals from the site, including some who sustained life-threatening injuries.

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Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

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Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

German Reyes, a local security official in Chilpancingo, Mexico has been arrested for the murder of the city’s mayor, Alejandro Arcos.

The Mexican authorities announced his arrest via a statement on Tuesday, November 12.

The Mayor was killed in the month of October as security officials discovered his lifeless body in his pick-up truck with his head chopped off and placed on his body.

The brutal killing and decapitation of Mayor Alejandro Arcos, which occurred just days after he assumed office, stunned the nation.

Guerrero prosecutors confirmed the detention of the security official who was identified as German ‘N,’ in line with Mexican practice of withholding the full names of suspects.

However, a local government official later identified him as German Reyes, who was the security chief for Chilpancingo, a city of around 280,000 residents in southwestern Mexico prior to his arrest.

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“The Guerrero prosecutor’s office, the Mexican army and the National Guard, arrested a man for the crime of qualified homicide in Chilpancingo,” the statement said.

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Reyes had a lengthy career in Mexico’s military, according to his public profile.

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COP29: Islamic bank supports WHO Impact Investment with $10m

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COP29: Islamic bank supports WHO Impact Investment with $10m

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has committed a $10 million grant to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP), bolstering its mission to strengthen primary healthcare systems worldwide.

Announced on November 12, 2024, during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, the grant highlights IsDB’s dedication to enhancing health resilience and climate adaptation in low- and middle-income countries.

In a statement on Tuesday, IsDB described HIIP as a groundbreaking partnership among Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), WHO and nations seeking robust health and climate solutions.

“This initiative focuses on the investment in essential, climate and crisis-resilient primary health care services and systems,” the bank stated, emphasizing the aim to reinforce the health system, especially in low- and middle-income countries and in underserved communities, ultimately aiming to foster resilience against emerging health threats and climate challenges.

Fifteen countries are identified as part of phase one of the Health Impact Investment Platform: Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia Guinea Bissau .

Other countries included Jordan, Maldives Morocco, Senegal, South Sudan, The Gambia, Tunisia and Zambia.

Supporting WHO’s technical assistance goals

The $10 million grant will specifically support the technical assistance that WHO provides to countries around the world to assess investment needs and to design the most impactful health projects.

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“These projects will serve as the foundation for co-investment by the MDBs, ensuring that resources are directed toward areas with the greatest potential for positive health outcomes,”IsDB added.

Over the next four years, WHO aims to strengthen climate resilience as part of its Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which includes implementing national climate adaptation plans and making 10,000 health facilities fully operational, including solar-powered electrification.

Unlocking $500m in health investments across the region

In addition to the $10 million grant, IsDB’s contribution is projected to unlock at least $500 million in health investments across the region.

“This collective goal is part of a broader effort to mobilize a total of US$ 1.5 billion in concessional loans and grants, focusing on critical areas, this way addressing national health priorities.”

Advancing health resilience, leadership statements

IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser said, the Islamic Development Bank is proud to support the Health Impact Investment Platform as part of our unwavering commitment to advancing universal health coverage and resilience in our Member Countries.

“These Multilateral Development Banks and WHO partnerships enable us to scale up primary health care where it is needed most, creating a stronger foundation to withstand future crises and addressing the pressing health challenges of today.”

“Together, we are fostering a healthier, more equitable future for communities across the globe,” he said.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that low- and middle-income countries need access to sustainable financing to strengthen their health systems through primary health care, to make them both more resilient to pandemics and more equitable in delivering essential health services.

“The Health Impact Investment Platform combines WHO’s public health expertise and on-the-ground presence with the resources and financing expertise of the Islamic Development Bank and other multilateral development banks. By working together, we can make a significant difference in improving health outcomes and creating a healthier future for all.”

The IsDB, along with its partners, remains committed to fostering partnerships that will advance healthcare and improve quality of life globally.