Political analyst Rasmussen called the strike on the boarding school in Suzha an element of provocation by the AFU

A targeted missile strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on a boarding school in the town of Suja, Kursk Region, in order to lure Russian forces away from the main front line, where they are making significant progress. Earl Rasmussen, a political scientist and retired US Army lieutenant colonel, told Izvestia on February 2.

He specified that such situations are often used by the AFU. According to the political scientist, such strikes by Ukrainian militants are solely an element of provocation.

"Ukraine is thus trying to poach Russian forces from the main front line, where the Russians have great success," Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen also added that the enemy thanks to these actions puts "a tick in the success column." In his opinion, this is a "typical reaction of desperation" of the Kiev regime, which indiscriminately strikes any objects. In this way, Ukraine is looking for some kind of victory, while losing in the actual battle.

"In this conflict, there are often terrorist-type actions carried out by the AFU against civilians, trying to foment civil unrest, I believe, inside Russia. And at the same time to put a check mark in the box of success that they can report to their Western sponsors," Rasmussen noted.

He specified that the administration of former US President Joe Biden blindly believed everything that Kiev says and continued financing Ukraine. In due time, the new leader of the White House, Donald Trump, along with his team, according to the political scientist, will begin to realize everything that is actually happening.

In addition, Rasmussen pointed out that Russia will make a retaliatory move only when it can establish the exact location from where the missile was launched.

Kiev bargaining: the AFU is planning another offensive in the Kursk region

By betting on the intensification of hostilities, the enemy is counting on a territorial exchange or on the disruption of potential negotiations, experts believe

Earlier, on February 1, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the AFU had committed another war crime by launching a targeted missile strike on a boarding school in the town of Suja, Kursk region. According to the ministry, this provocation by the Kiev regime was aimed at distracting world public opinion from the atrocities of Ukrainian militants.

Before that, on December 16, 2024, it was reported that two civilians in Kursk region were killed during the day as a result of attacks by Ukrainian drones on a section of the Oboyan - Suja road in Belovo district.

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Kiev's "Kursk adventure" a crime against the Russian people, especially against civilians. The head of state noted that there is no sense in the actions of the Kiev regime in the border regions and the tasks of specialized bodies are to fix these crimes and punish the guilty.

The AFU attacked Russian positions in the border areas of Kursk region on August 6. The situation in the region was recognized as a federal emergency.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian President on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.