CIA Acknowledges Discussions on Ukraine’s Incursion into Kursk Region

By Staff, Agencies

Ukraine’s cross-border incursion into Kursk Region, Russia will likely continue “for some period of time,” CIA Deputy Director David Cohen told the Intelligence and “National” Security Summit on Wednesday.

Kiev launched a surprise raid into Russia earlier this month, deploying up to 10,000 troops armed with Western-supplied heavy weapons.

Ukraine reportedly did not consult its Western sponsors before launching the operation, leaving them puzzled over its ultimate goals.

“They are remaining in Russia, building defenses, and, as best as we can tell from our conversations, there seems to be intent on retaining some of that territory for some period of time,” Cohen stated, without elaborating on what those conversations entailed.

Cohen went on to say that Ukraine’s attack “has the potential to change the dynamic” of the conflict going forward, but he admitted there is no doubt that Russia “will mount a counteroffensive to try to reclaim that territory.”

The Ukrainian leadership has been inconsistent in explaining its goals for the Kursk Region operation. Initially, Vladimir Zelensky’s office stated that capturing Russian territory was necessary to gain a stronger position during eventual peace talks with Russia. It also mentioned the need to apply pressure on Moscow by intimidating the Russian public into accepting Ukrainian terms.

The messaging later shifted, with Zelensky declaring the creation of a buffer zone as a key achievement. Last Saturday, he claimed that the incursion had preempted a Russian attempt to enter Ukraine’s Sumy Region from Kursk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the incursion and the harm it caused to Russian civilians have made negotiations with Ukraine impossible. Previously, he offered a ceasefire in return for political and military concessions.