I didn't see that any of the news outlets picked up on the great symbolism of Ukraine's military offensive into Russia's Kursk region. Kursk is where the largest military battle in history took place, as defined by Wikipedia. The Second World War battle involved a vast number of tanks on both sides and is remembered as a great victory for the Soviet Union. The Battle of Stalingrad, a few months before, was probably the single deadliest battle ever because it took place during a frigid winter and a lot of the deaths were due to freezing.
Since this battle is so important to Russian history the sending of Ukrainian tanks into Kursk is extremely symbolic in that it represents a reversal of Russia's great victory. The real target is the morale of the Russian population. Regardless of what this offensive achieves in military terms it's real goal is to convince the West that Ukraine is worth supporting and the Russian people that this war isn't going well and isn't worth it.
Does anyone remember the Tet Offensive, in early 1968 during America's Vietnam War? The VC, the Communist guerilla force in South Vietnam, suddenly struck at targets all over South Vietnam. In military terms the offensive was not much of a success and the Communists suffered heavy casualties. But that wasn't what ultimately counted. The American public was taken aback that, after several years of war, the Communists could just strike at will all over the country like this. The offensive did a lot to turn the American public even more against the war.
No comments:
Post a Comment