Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer believes that the Ukrainian military operation in Kursk region of Russia created a strategic problem for Putin.

He provided this assessment in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, assessing the course of events on the battlefield.

Bauer believes that today both sides have the same problems. "One is personnel. Both sides are looking for new soldiers. Then you need to train those soldiers, so that's the second issue that both sides are working on. The Russians lost a lot of people who could train those soldiers because they were lost in the first two years of the war, a lot of senior officers. Ukraine has the help of 50 nations in the world. So training is partly done with the help of other nations. And then thirdly, both nations look at new capabilities and more ammunition," he explained his idea.

"And also here Ukraine has the help of 50 nations when Russia has increased its defence production capacity to a war economy and has the help of questionable nations like Iran and North Korea, and indirect from China. So both sides are having similar issues and working on these issues," Bauer said.

The NATO military committee chairman also predicts that "where a counteroffensive was conducted and where Ukraine invaded." "For the first time since 1941 a foreign power is on Russian soil. That is a strategic problem for Russia. And it also presents operational problems for Russia because of the logistic lines that go through Kursk," Bauer said.

He also said as a result of the Kursk counteroffensive, "there are a number of successes" for Ukraine, although "there are some things not happening most likely as planned, as intended." " Perhaps Ukraine expected more troops to be drawn away from the Donbass region into the Kursk region to solve the problem in Kursk. And that has not happened as much as probably everybody thought," the chairman of the NATO Military Committee believes.

Bauer also explained that the operation in Russia's Kursk region should be "layered point of view on the strategic level, on the operational level, and on the tactical level." "If you look at the strategic level, Ukraine creates a strategic dilemma for Russia. When Putin says he defends the motherland, he is not successful because Ukraine is now in Russia. That's not good. So I think that is a smart move of Ukraine. Therefore, it led to a discussion in Russia about what are we going to do about this. Are we going to refocus from the Donbas to Kursk or not? The strategic dilemma I think is still there because the story is not good for Putin. But he allows it to be there for the time being without really changing his priorities," he said.

The chairman of the NATO Military Committee also said that in Donbas, the Russians "slowly with heavy losses move forward." "It's not huge gains but it is gains. And Ukraine continues to defend itself very bravely and to the most extent very effectively," he said.

"So, coming back to a question on possible development, for now, I would say there is not a lot of movement. But it all depends on how you solve the three issues I described earlier. In Ukraine and in Russia. And that is why I will continue to push for the discussion on the defence production capacity on our part of the world which needs to be ramped up seriously not only to continue to support Ukraine, but also to increase our own capabilities," Bauer said.