“Sanitary zone” in Russia. Svitan explained what decision the Russian government is still afraid to make
15 August 2024 19:10
EXCLUSIVE
Ukraine has formed a “sanitary zone” in the Kursk region for self-defence and has the right to do so. This was stated by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, commenting on the operation in Kursk region. "Komersant Ukrainian" has looked into what opportunities are already opening up for Ukraine and why Russia is dragging its feet in repelling the attack.
Four months have passed between Putin’s threats to create a “sanitary zone” in Ukraine in the Kharkiv region and the creation of a real “sanitary zone” in the Kursk region. Russia has failed to make any serious progress on the frontline, nor has it been able to turn its threats into reality. Ukraine, for its part, has exercised its right to self-defence without any false claims.
“In exercising its right to self-defence, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine has the right not only to defend itself, but also to comply with all international conventions and requirements of international humanitarian law. That is why our military formed a “buffer (sanitary) zone” in the Kursk region in self-defence,” Dmytro Lubinets
Moreover, the Armed Forces of Ukraine comply with security guarantees in the Kursk region, including international humanitarian law, the Hague Conventions of 1907 and the Geneva Conventions, which has never been done by an aggressor country in the occupied territories.
What does the “grey zone” give us today?
Officially, as of 15 August, about 1,000 km² of Russian territory is under the control of the Defence Forces. This was announced by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi. Roman Svitan, a reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, explains exclusively for Kommersant Ukrainian that the figure is still small, 50 km wide by 20 km deep. The northern border line, which is practically open, is about 600 km.
“In order for us to form a ‘sanitary zone’ on the territory of the Russian Federation along the entire border, we need to increase this size 10 times. But the right, competent process has already begun. This is called levelling the front,” Roman Svitan
Svitan clarifies that the border line is broken, and it is inconvenient and unprofitable to tear off fortifications along the border. Therefore, he predicts the expansion of the “sanitary zone” along the border.
“The front line can be extended towards Rylsk [a city in the Kursk region – ed.] and south towards Belgorod. The depth of this zone depends on the terrain, on the convenience of the defensive borders,” Roman Svitan
Svitan adds that the task of our Defence Forces is not a strategic offensive. In the Kursk region, tactical-level defensive and counter-offensive actions are being carried out to fulfil defensive tasks. These include entering the territory and creating fortification lines of defence, including minefields, says the reserve colonel.
“Minefields on the territory of the Russian Federation can stretch several kilometres deep. The depth will vary from 5 to 30 kilometres. Artillery can work,” Roman Svitan
Further operation in Kursk region will depend on Russia
The course of events in the Kursk region will depend on how the Russian leadership reacts, says Roman Svitan, a reserve colonel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Our further actions directly depend on the decisions made by the Russian military and political leadership. At the moment, they do not prohibit us from advancing. Everything is going according to plan. So far, the Russians have not made the main decision to transfer reserves from the eastern front to the Kursk direction,” Roman Svitan
Obviously, the Kremlin has not yet decided which land is more important: the occupied territories of Ukraine or its own, Russian lands, where the war is also going on. However, Svitan is confident that the Ukrainian army will be stopped sooner or later. The only question is: when?
“If the Russian Federation makes a decision and deploys 100,000 troops in this direction, we will definitely stop. They will stop us for sure. But this is also a big plus for Ukraine, because they will have to withdraw reserves from the eastern front. This may also be a strategic objective: to force the Russians to stop their attack on Pokrovsk,” Roman Svitan
While Russia is stuck on the decision to stop or not to stop the Armed Forces in Russia, Ukraine will expand the existing border with a depth of 30 km, Svitan concludes.
Will Ukraine be able to operate Western weapons from the territory of the Russian Federation?
The distance of 20-30 km that the Ukrainian Defence Forces have managed to cover is a short distance for long-range weapons, explains Roman Svitan. “This will not give us a big advantage yet, so it remains important for Ukraine to get permission to operate. According to Svitan, there is currently no possibility to operate either ATACMS, Storm Shadow or SCALP. However, we can already operate HIMARS with M31 rockets with a range of 80 km and conduct tactical frontal strikes.
According to The Washington Post, amid the events in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian side has submitted an official request to the United States to allow the use of long-range Atacms missiles to hit Russian military airfields.
Author – Anastasia Fedor
