A Russian general dismantled a council charged with overseeing security in Russia's Kursk Oblast in the spring, weakening border defenses before Ukraine's unprecedented incursion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 21.
Citing an official in the Russian security services, the outlet said Colonel General Alexander Lapin claimed the Kremlin's military could effectively defend the border on its own.
As a result, he dissolved an interagency council consisting of military officers and local and regional security officials which would have been tasked with helping Moscow form a coherent response to an incursion by Ukraine.
The report stresses that Russia would likely still have struggled to respond to the events which have since unfolded in Kursk Oblast, but it added to the confusion and disorganization on show as Moscow has tried to oust Ukraine's army from Russian soil.
The Ukrainian military's unprecedented operation, ongoing for nearly two weeks, has led to the capture of the town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast and the alleged destruction of all three bridges over the Seim River near the border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have advanced 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Kursk Oblast and taken control of 93 settlements so far, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced only on Aug. 20 that it would establish troop groups in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts to defend settlements along the Ukrainian border.
It took four days for the Russian government to announce a "counter-terrorist operation" in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, which border Ukraine.
Kyiv’s ongoing operation aims to establish a "buffer zone" on Russian territory, prevent cross-border strikes, and divert Russian reinforcements from Ukraine's east, according to Ukrainian officials.
Chris York
