Murrett Discusses the War in Ukraine With the Associated Press, Deutsche Welle and Newsweek

August 16, 2024

Deutsche Welle,Newsweek,The Associated Press

Robert B. Murrett

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy & Law

Conflict

Defense & Security

International Affairs

NATO

Robert B. Murrett

Ukrainian forces continued on with their major cross-border advance into Russia’s Kursk region for a second week, claiming that they took more ground, captured more Russian prisoners and destroyed a bomber in attacks on military airfields.

“The situation is still highly fluid, but with clear signs that the Russian command and control of responding units is still coming together, with all-important unity of command not yet achieved,” Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, tells the Associated Press. “The next 2-3 days will be critical for both sides.”

In the Newsweek article, “How NATO Members Reacted to Ukraine's Kursk attack,” Murrett says that support from NATO members “has actually been understated but there.”

Russia has reportedly had to transfer units in southern Ukraine to deal with the growing crisis in Kursk, a move which Murrett says would likely “diminish Russian capability inside Ukraine by resetting conditions across the border in Russia.”

Murrett says there are signs that the Russian command and control of responding units “is still coming together, with all-important unity of command not yet achieved.”

In response to how Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory has affected the ‘red lines’ debate, Murrett tells Deutsche Welle, “It has changed the circumstances a little bit and shifted them. On the other hand...we have to be careful about making sure that Ukraine does have the wherewithal to conduct these kinds of operations, and to kind of step back from the particulars here with arms.

“I think most of us view this as a largely a defensive operation to put a buffer region inside the Kursk region and also potentially Belgorod because of all the attacks that Russia has been mounting there against Ukraine and specifically Ukrainian civilians,” says Murrett.