The situation on the now Russian-Ukrainian front is critical and everything hangs by a thin thread. His local governor Kursk said at noon on Monday that Ukrainian troops advanced 12 kilometers into Russian territory and already control 28 points.

According to his official announcements Alexei Smirnoff 121,000 residents have left the Kursk region and another 59,000 must leave immediately. The picture is similar in neighboring Belgorod.

The Russian president Vladimir Putin promises to respond to Ukraine “as it sees fit”. As he said on Monday, speaking on state television after a meeting with top defense and security officials, the Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory is aimed at “destabilizing the situation on the border”, but Russia will “respond”.

The Ukrainian surprise counterattack on the Russian border, which began on August 6 and continues, is aimed, according to the Russian president, at improving Ukraine’s negotiating position and stopping Russian operations in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

Germany is reserved against Kiev

From his side Berlinin the Kremlin’s crosshairs for its continued military support of Ukraine, appears restrained and wary of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“There is often conflicting and sometimes deliberately false information about this operation, which was apparently prepared under the utmost secrecy,” a chancellor spokesman said, describing the situation as still “fluid.” However, from the indications so far it appears that the German government did not know details about the Ukrainian counterattack in Kursk.

A representative of the German Ministry of Defense added that “everything points to a limited operation. “It would not be wise to comment on this basis,” he said in a government briefing after being asked about the use of German weapons systems in the Ukrainian counter-attack on Russia, as reported by the Bild newspaper a few days ago.

Circular exchange Germany-Czech Republic-Ukraine

At the same time, and while neither side confirms nor denies the use of German tanks in Kursk, Germany is proceeding with a new circular exchange of equipment systems with the Czech Republic, with Kiev as the final recipient.

According to the tagesschau website, the German armaments industry Rheinmetall announced that at the request of the German government, it will deliver to the Czech Republic 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks, as well as an armored Bergerpanzer 3 Büffel. The Czech Republic, in turn, will deliver additional military equipment to Ukraine “for the war against Russia.”

Already in 2022, Germany and the Czech Republic had made a similar agreement, with the Czech Republic then sending Soviet-made military equipment to the Czech Republic. A similar agreement was reached with Greece with Marder.

“American Tomahawks are necessary in Germany”

In the meantime, the German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, in an interview he gave to the newspaper FAZ, defends the planned parking of American long-range Tomahawk missiles in western Germany from 2026. In fact, he is positive about a thorough public debate in order to fully inform the citizens about the historic this decision and the reasons that make it necessary.

“On the one hand, we are experiencing a new threat situation in Europe from Russian aggression, and on the other hand, we are showing gaps in our defense capability, which we will be able to cover in the near future only with the help of our allies, the US, until we develop corresponding systems ourselves” says Boris Pistorius.

Recently, however, politicians such as the Christian Democratic Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretzmer, had requested a referendum both on the issue of parking long-range missiles in Germany and on the issue of reinstating conscription in the country.