CIA Director William Burns and MI6 Chief Richard Moore made an unprecedented joint appearance in London on Saturday, discussing the Ukraine war. The event, hosted by the globalist Financial Times, saw both intelligence leaders praise Ukrainian forces’ incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Moore commended Ukraine’s controversial counter-invasion of Russia as “typically audacious and bold on the part of the Ukrainians,” praising it for having “brought the war home to ordinary Russians.” The surprise offensive on August 6 has bogged down in recent days but saw success early on, with around 500 square miles of Russian territory seized.
However, while portrayed as a great embarrassment for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the Kursk operation may prove to be a significant strategic mistake. Ukraine has used limited reserves, armed with valuable Western equipment such as American HIMARS artillery systems and British Challenger 2 tanks, for the offensive—meaning they cannot be used to reinvigorate Ukrainian forces buckling under a grinding Russian offensive in the Donbas region.
The Kursk offensive does not appear to have diverted enough Russian resources from the Donbas to halt Russian offensive operations in that theater, with the Ukrainians losing several towns and villages as the Russians close in on the vital logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
Hellbound and Down 