Law, Power, and Justice

NEWS NOTES

9 AUGUST 2024

Ukraine/Russia

• The Ukrainian military has made an incursion into Russia, north of Kharkiv.  While the U.S. corporate press is already carping and asking questions about the efficacy of the operation, it seems to be (at least for the present) successful. 
• Ukrainian forces moved deeper into Russia on Friday and if nothing else, the operation has seemed to improve the attitude of Ukrainians.
• The Ukrainians were evacuating the population near the border, perhaps fearing retaliatory strikes.
• The operation forces the Russians to move troops to counter the offensive, but the goal of the operation is unclear.
• Statements from the US have said that the incursion does not violate American guidance.
• American officials were skeptical that the Ukrainians could hold the territory long enough to force a significant shift in troops by the Russians.  (Note: NATO and American military sources have carped about Ukrainian tactics since the beginning of the war.)
• The Ukrainian military also said that they had struck a Russian airfiled in the Lipetsk region, near Kursk.
• Whether the Ukrainians will move forward or consolidate their hold over this area remains to be seen.
• See https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/09/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kursk-lipetsk.html