Euan MacDonald: New Voice of Ukraine editor on Ukraine controlling 74 settlements in Russia's Kursk region

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces have now gained control of 74 settlements in Russia's Kursk region.

The governor of Russia’s border area of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has declared a region-wide state of emergency - and is appealing to President Putin to declare a federal emergency.

New Voice of Ukraine editor Euan MacDonald says it's unlikely Russia expected this latest border attack.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heller du for see Allen. As we know, in the
last few days, Ukraine has launched a surprise counter invasion
of Russia. Now Ukraine reckons it's in control of seventy
four Russian settlements in the Kursk region. The governor of
the Russian governor of the border area has declared a
region wide state of emergency. He's appealing to potent declare
a federal emergency situation. You McDonald is the editor of

(00:21):
New Voice of Ukraine and is with us from Kiev.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Heywan, Hello.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Sounds like this was possible because Russia got a bit
complacent and wasn't guarding its own border properly. Is that
what happened?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Possibly the Russia has not a lot of its main
troops into battle in the Dombas in the south and
east of Ukraine, and I don't think it was expecting
an attack across its border.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
So the point of what Ukraine is trying to do
is essentially draw resources over to another area. Right, Therefore,
drawing resources out Russian resources out of Ukraine. Is it
going to work?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
It seems to be, because there are reports that Russia
has moved some of its units away from its own
incursion into Ukrainian territory in the northeast of Ukraine near Kharkiv.
Some of the units are there supposed to be heading
towards Kursk at the moment, as according to reports by
Russian million bloggers military bloggers. So this could be happening.

(01:20):
It could be part of the reason why the incursion
was launched, but it also could be a way to
gain some leverage against Russia in future peace talks. If
there's going to be an exchange of land.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Right, is that a realistic possibility because the I mean,
this is what we're looking at with a potential Trump
presidency right there, he forces them to give up land
and sue for peace. Is this Zelensky preparing for that?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yes, it would be because if the lines were frozen
as before, that would have left Russia in control of
Ukrainian territory and Ukraine not with any Russian territory to control.
So this may be a way of Ukraine hedging that
against that by taking control of some Ukraine of Russian
territory in order to make it more difficult for Russia

(02:10):
simply to freeze the lines, take effective control fully of
Ukrainian territory and then later, if going by past experience,
Russia will restart the war and take more territory.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
You and that would require, though the Ukrainians to stay
there for potentially months. Have they got the ability.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
To do that.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Well?

Speaker 2 (02:34):
The pocket in Kursk is still expanding as far as
we can tell from the reports coming out at least
from the Russian side, from independent military bloggers. What they
could be doing is taking as much territory as they can,
then digging in preparing defensive positions, and then they'll fall
back to those. And it seems it could be possible

(02:57):
that they would hold territory because the lines in Ukraine
have been pretty static for the last year and a
half or so, in fact, almost since the September of
twenty twenty two, when the last big Ukrainian offensive that
took territory and cardgiv Oblast happened. Since then the lines
have been pretty static, and if Ukraine can establish new

(03:18):
lines in Russia, it might be able to stay there
for a while.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Right, is there any risk here to Ukraine? I mean,
it was pointed out to me that part of the
risk that they now face is that if they are
affecting civilians with their attacks that might be used as
propaganda against them.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
It undoubtedly will be used as propaganda against them, but
it's also good peeking or for Ukraine side to show
that it can still go on the offensive. It's taken
the initiative back from Russia basically at the moment, because
Russia was attacking all the time for most of this
year and it was seeming like Ukraine was losing, that
was in territory all the time. Now they've reversed that

(03:58):
narrative and they've shown that Russia is not able to
protect us on borders. They've made Putin's regime look weak,
and they've shown that they've shown the Russians that the
war can come to them, it can affect them.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Ewan, thank you very much for running us through. It's
good to talk to you again. Look after yourself. It's
Ian McDonald, the editor of New Voice of Ukraine.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
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