Military operations in Kursk Oblast will force Russia to redeploy troops, Estonian intelligence says

Lieutenant Colonel Janek Kesselmann, Deputy Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre, believes that the military operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast will likely force Russia to redeploy its troops.

As reported by Estonian public broadcaster ERR, Kesselmann noted that Russian forces were likely unprepared for the Ukrainian operations in the region, with the attack catching them off guard.

He also noted that, based on open data, Ukrainian troops had advanced about 15 kilometres from the border into Kursk Oblast.

"It is possible that the second line of Russian defence in the region has been partially breached. The offensive of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk area is likely to lead to the redeployment of Russian Federation units from other areas to ensure the defence of Russian units and counterattacks against Ukrainian forces in the region," Kesselman said.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin called the situation in Kursk Oblast a "provocation". The US Department of State has pointed out the irony of Putin's statement.

The Pentagon has expressed no concern regarding the advance of Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

The Ukrainian side has not yet officially commented on the events in Kursk Oblast.