Thread by @HoansSolo

Interesting & informative piece. wsj.com/world/behind-u…

„At around 3 a.m. on Aug. 6, they unleashed an intense barrage from six M777 howitzers, supplied by Ukraine’s Western backers, which were set up along a stretch of the border aiming into Russia.“

„Ukrainian electronic-warfare units went into Russian territory ahead of the main mechanized assault forces to jam Russian equipment to stop Russian forces from pinpointing Ukrainian positions or intercepting their communications.“

„Leading the charge were the 80th and 82nd air assault brigades, among Ukraine’s most powerful units, which are equipped with U.S. Stryker and German Marder armored vehicles.“

“On the fourth day of the incursion, a convoy of Russian military trucks laden with soldiers near the town of Rylsk was struck by rockets fired from a U.S.-provided Himars rocket system.”

“Western military estimates suggest Ukraine has committed as many as 6,000 soldiers to Kursk and has up to 4,000 additional troops in support roles in the Sumy region.”

“To avoid weakening the front line, a substantial number of the troops came from a reserve force Ukraine had been building with Western encouragement for operations later this year and in 2025, according to the person familiar with the operation.”

“Russia has pulled several understrength brigades from Ukraine in response, totaling up to 5k troops as of the middle of this past week, the person said. 1 brigade was from the Donetsk region, the focus of Russia’s current offensives, but others were from less essential areas.”

“Still, Russia might have to pull more troops out of Ukraine if it wants to take the territory back, which would require a larger force than the Ukrainians and would probably need to number more than 20,000 properly trained personnel, the person said.”