In the photo: A still image taken from a handout video released by the Russian Defence Ministry Press Service on 08 August 2022 shows Russian Commander of the Central Military District Colonel-General Alexander Lapin attending a ceremony where he presented state awards to Russian servicemen, at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Colonel-General Lapin was awarded the title of `Hero of the Russian Federation` by President Putin in July.
A Russian general dissolved the council tasked with overseeing security in Russia's Kursk region in the spring, weakening border defences ahead of the unprecedented Ukrainian incursion, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing an official of the Russian security services, the publication claimed that Colonel-General Alexander Lapin said that the Kremlin's military could effectively defend the border on its own.
As a result, he dissolved the interagency council, made up of military officers and representatives of local and regional security services, which was supposed to help Moscow form a coherent response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The report stressed that Russia would probably still have had difficulty responding to the events that unfolded in Kursk Oblast, but that this has contributed to the confusion and disorganization that Moscow has demonstrated in trying to drive the Ukrainian army from Russian territory.
The unprecedented operation of the Ukrainian army, which has been going on for two weeks now, led to the capture of the city of Suja in the Kursk region and the destruction of all three bridges over the Seym River near the border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have advanced 28-35km into Kursk Oblast and taken control of 93 villages so far, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirsky.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced only on August 20 that it will form troop groups in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions to protect the settlements along the border with Ukraine.
It took four days for the Russian government to announce an "anti-terrorist operation" in Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions, which border Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian officials, the Kiev-led operation aims to create a "buffer zone" on Russian territory, prevent cross-border attacks and divert Russian reinforcements from eastern Ukraine. | BGNES
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