Ukrainian soldiers are skeptical about the Kursk province campaign

Ukrainian infantry and armor on August 6 crossed the border and entered Kursk province, marking the largest attack by foreign troops on Russian territory since World War II. Thanks to the element of surprise, Ukraine made many advances in the early stages, declaring control of about 100 residential areas and nearly 1,300 square kilometers of territory in Kursk province after less than a month of launching the campaign.

Ukrainian officials announced that one of the goals of the campaign is to force Russia to withdraw forces from the Donbass front, including Lugansk and Donetsk provinces, thereby reducing pressure on Kiev’s defense lines in this area.

In a message on the occasion of the two-month anniversary of the attack on Kursk province, President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the soldiers participating in the operation for helping prove that Ukraine “can bring fighting into Russia”. He also emphasized that this effort has slowed down Moscow’s advance on the Donbass front.

However, the data was compiled by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). AFP Analysis is showing the opposite. Accordingly, Russia controlled an additional 477 square kilometers of territory in August, marking the largest advance within 30 days since October 2022.

The Russian army last week took full control of the fortress city of Ugledar after a long siege and is approaching Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s key logistics center on the Donetsk front.

“Maybe the enemy has withdrawn troops in other directions or just withdrawn reserve forces, we don’t feel any big changes here yet,” said Oleksandr, a Ukrainian soldier fighting near the city of Toretsk.

Toretsk is a frontline urban area in Donetsk province, considered the gateway connecting Kiev’s rear and defense lines in the region. The Ukrainian army on October 7 admitted that Russian forces had entered the eastern suburbs of the city, putting Kiev at risk of losing this strategic city.

Bogdan, a Ukrainian soldier stationed in the city of Druzhkovka, said that the operation in Kursk province would benefit Ukraine if it took place in a short time. “If it is a long-term campaign and Ukraine plans to hold on to Kursk province, we will exhaust our main resources,” Bogdan commented.

“Russia is advancing faster and faster, despite suffering heavy losses. It is difficult to say that Ukraine has achieved its goals in the Kursk campaign,” said Yohann Michel, a military expert at the Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies. based in France, expressed his opinion.

However, expert Michel said that the Kursk campaign also showed the potential of the Ukrainian army and proved that sending troops into Russia would not cause a “major disaster” as Moscow warned.

Some Ukrainian soldiers still feel proud of the Kursk offensive, even if it is unlikely to bring military benefits. Dmytro, a soldier of Ukraine’s 43rd Artillery Brigade participating in the war in Donbass, said he was very happy to see his teammates entering Russian soil, hundreds of kilometers away.

“I am proud of my teammates, who are motivated to fight against the enemy right on their own territory. Russia entered our country and will now experience the same thing. They will feel the war clearly. What is the matter?,” Dmytro said.

Sergiy, a Ukrainian soldier returning from Kursk province, said Kiev had achieved many valuable spiritual and political benefits through the campaign, one of which was capturing many Russian conscripts in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war. .

“The operation also helped Ukraine paint a beautiful propaganda picture, proving that we are still capable of attacking,” Sergiy said, emphasizing that this was a great encouragement for the exhausted Ukrainian people and soldiers. after more than two years of fighting.

The campaign is expected to help Western countries maintain trust in Ukraine and increase support for the country, while aid flows are slowing down. Controlling part of Russian territory also gives Ukraine an advantage in case the two sides sit at the negotiating table.

However, the prospect of dialogue between Russia and Ukraine is becoming increasingly distant. Moscow repeatedly affirmed that “there is nothing to negotiate” with Kiev after the Ukrainian army attacked Kursk province.

“Is this a successful campaign? Militarily, not really. The morale benefits are only temporary and are gradually fading. It is only useful if it is intended to promote negotiations, but It would be completely meaningless if Ukraine did not think about this,” said Olivier Kempf, an expert at the French Foundation for Strategic Research.

Some Western experts believe that Russia is the beneficiary, because the Ukrainian army had to withdraw its defense forces in the Donbass region to move to the Kursk front. “Moscow can turn the initial setback into a real strategic advantage,” Kempf said.

Some Ukrainian soldiers on the Donbass front are also worried that their teammates will get bogged down in Kursk province. After the initial period of surprise, the Russian army has consolidated its forces and is stepping up its counterattack. Moscow on October 9 announced to regain control of two more villages in the Kursk region, after recapturing 12 residential areas in September.

“The question now is what we will do next. Where will we get the people and means to sustain the operation, let alone complete it? Only God knows how this will end “, said an anonymous Ukrainian soldier.