The dire situation of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk province

Anonymous US officials said on December 28 that Russia is stepping up efforts to regain areas in the border province of Kursk, in which a coordinated counterattack campaign to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the area may take place. next month.

Ukraine launched a surprise attack campaign in early August and controlled more than 1,300 square kilometers of territory in Kursk province. This was the first ground attack by foreign forces targeting Russia since World War II.

Kiev’s goal is to force Moscow to withdraw its troops to protect the border province, prevent the advance of the Russian army on the Donbass front, including Lugansk and Donetsk provinces, as well as create leverage for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government in negotiations. judge in the future.

However, the situation is not as Ukraine expected. After an initial period of surprise, the Russian army reinforced its forces and mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers for the Kursk front, while still maintaining the momentum of advancing at an unprecedented speed in Donbass.

Five unnamed Ukrainian and Western officials on December 30 expressed concern that the decision to bet on this front would seriously weaken Kiev’s forces, while Ukrainian soldiers directly participating in the battle in Kursk also raises many doubts about the campaign on Russian territory.

“We have provoked a fire ant nest and provoked another hot spot,” said Major Stepan Lutsiv, a member of Ukraine’s 95th Air Assault Brigade.

After unexpected success in the early stages of the campaign, Ukrainian units were ordered to advance deeper into Russian territory than their stated goal, towards the town of Korenevo about 25 km from the border. This was also one of the first locations where Russian forces launched a counterattack.

The Russian army has accelerated to regain territory since early November. News agency AP said that by the end of December, Ukraine had lost thousands of soldiers and lost nearly half of the territory it gained in Kursk province in the early stages of the campaign.

Ukrainian soldiers were happy with the initial success, but changed their views when they suffered great losses. A company commander said 50% of the soldiers under his command were killed or injured and lost the ability to fight.

Some Ukrainian commanders admitted that the front line situation in Kursk province is very difficult and the morale of soldiers is low. Soldiers are increasingly skeptical about the decisions of their superiors, as well as questioning the purpose of launching the campaign on Russian soil.

One commander said that many orders from his superiors were not consistent with the reality of the battlefield, due to delays in conveying information, especially in areas that Russia had recaptured. “The superiors do not understand our position and the enemy’s position, as well as the areas Ukraine still controls. They do not understand the combat situation, forcing us to act on our own,” this person said.

A Ukrainian platoon leader revealed that he had repeatedly asked the commander for permission to evacuate and change the defensive position because he knew he could not hold the line, but was refused. “Those who held out until the last minute are all missing. At least 20 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers have been left behind in the past four months, because recovery efforts only caused us to suffer more casualties,” this person said.

Ukrainian soldiers said they were not prepared to face a fierce counterattack by Russian forces and were in a “dilemma”, not having enough strength to counterattack but also not being able to retreat.

“There is no other choice. We will continue to fight here, because the enemy will not stop when Ukrainian forces withdraw to the border. They will continue to advance,” said the commander of an armored unit. said by a drone.

When asked to comment on developments in Kursk province, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army declared that it was causing losses to Russia in terms of manpower and military equipment. The agency also emphasized that Ukrainian soldiers on the Kursk front “are provided with everything necessary” to fight.

Despite the difficult situation, there are still signs of optimism with Ukrainian units. Some soldiers say that the US and UK’s decision to remove long-range weapons barriers is slowing down Russia’s counterattack.

However, there are no signs that Russia will stop advancing in Kursk. Russian forces this week captured more dense forest between the Kremenne and Vorontsovo residential areas, thereby moving closer to one of the important logistics routes on this front.

Heavy losses in Kursk and Donbass made more and more Ukrainian soldiers skeptical about the purpose of the campaign on Russian soil. “The Donbass region has been sold, but at what price?” a Ukrainian commander asked.