Kursk incursion: Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrsky shifts the focus of the war
Born and educated largely in Russia, Ukraine's top military commander is now leading an unprecedented incursion into Russian territory, catching opposing troops off-guard and shifting the momentum of the war.
Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrsky was born in Russia and studied in Moscow and yet he is leading an unprecedented assault on Russian territory. His troops launched on August 6 a large-scale operation across Russia's border in the Kursk region, breaking months of setbacks for the Ukrainian army and catching Russian troops off-guard.
Syrsky has said Ukraine has captured over 1,000 square kilometres and that troops "continue to conduct the operation", the largest by a foreign army inside Russia since World War II.
The stunning attack triggered near-euphoric reactions from Ukrainians exhausted by the Russian invasion, now in its third year. It also put the spotlight on 59-year-old Syrsky who was appointed in February but remained less popular than his predecessor, national icon Valery Zaluzhny.
Recognition should provide a welcome respite for Syrsky, a military man with a dry style, who was rumoured to be set for replacement a few weeks ago.
"Syrsky explained the reason for the attack on Kursk: 'I just want to go home'," quipped one internet meme.
(AFP)
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