"Dark as Night, Swift as Thunderbolt": Ukraine's Masterclass in Surprise Warfare

 

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt." This ancient wisdom from Sun Tzu's The Art of War perfectly encapsulates the shock and awe strategy deployed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during their audacious invasion of Russia's Kursk region.

In a matter of hours, they achieved rapid dominance over significant parts of this territory, including the regional center of Sudzha, now under Ukrainian control.

Ukraine’s military-political leadership has delivered a masterclass in operational-level offensive tactics on enemy soil, leaving Russia stunned. The absolute surprise of this special military operation has sent shockwaves throughout Russian society, exposing vulnerabilities that Moscow had long denied.

Inside the Kremlin, Putin and his generals are reeling, caught in a web of cognitive dissonance. The Dunning-Kruger effect, where the least competent are the most confident, is on full display. Meanwhile, former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu watches with smug satisfaction, as if to say, "This never happened under my watch." The new Russian Defense Minister, desperate and cornered, made two futile attempts to reach U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who pointedly did not answer.

Over the past few months, at least 20 senior Russian officials have either been dismissed or placed under investigation by Putin. The result? A decapitated Russian Ministry of Defense, scrambling in disarray as its leadership crumbles.

On the streets of Russia, the reaction of ordinary citizens is one of dumbfounded bewilderment. Just two years ago, the residents of Kursk region proudly sent their husbands, sons, and fathers to fight in Ukraine, eager to claim their share of blood money. They declared their unwavering support for the so-called "Special Military Operation" on video, with the same fervor now replaced by a single, haunting question: "Why are they bombing us?" And they ask it with genuine confusion.

Russian state propaganda is predictably progressing through all the stages of grief—from denial to reluctant acceptance of the inevitable. The reactions of Putin's inner circle and Russian society at large serve as a resounding confirmation for those in the World who have long sought to debunk the myth of Russian invincibility.

As for Ukraine's next moves, no one can say for sure. But one can only hope that the offensive momentum continues and that the Ukrainian forces execute a maneuver so audacious it will leave Russia reeling. A thrust not only towards Kurchatov and Kursk, but perhaps even towards Belgorod.

Glory to Ukraine!