Kursk, the retreat of Kiev’s soldiers: “A horror film”

The testimonies

On March 9 ‘Volodymyr’, a imagination name, sends the BBC via Telegram confirms that it is still in the South, between “panic and collapse of the front” with the Ukrainian forces that “try to leave” and the Russian drones that target the military columns. “Impossible to leave during the day”. According to the testimony, the road used between Southzha and Sumy was relatively safe up to a month before March 9 when it was “all under the control of the enemy fire” with drones in flight “24 hours a day”. “We have all the logistics here along the South -Sumy road and everyone knew that the Russians would try to cut it, but – it is the accusation – this time too it was a surprise for our command”.

Always via Telegram, ‘Maksym’, says that Ukrainian forces fought to prevent the road interruption on 11 March. “A few days ago we received the order to leave the defense lines with an organized withdrawal”, reconstructs, confirming that Russia has stored forces – “including many North Korean soldiers” – to resume control of the city. And he also put in place the best drones units, including FPV, the ‘First Person View’ drones. Thus, it is the story of ‘Masksym’, Russia “managed to destroy dozens of equipment units” and what has remained has “congested the refueling routes”. On 11 March the situation is “catastrophic”, according to the words of ‘Anton’, soldier employed in the headquarters for the Kursk front. “Logistics no longer works, organized deliveries of weapons, ammunition, food and water are no longer possible.” However, he managed, he says, to leave Southzha on foot, at night.

Post on social media published between 11 and 12 March by ‘Dmyro’, another soldier, compared the retreat from the front of “horror film scenes” and talked about “many wounded and fallen”, between “roads full of hundreds of cars, vehicles and destroyed armored vehicles”. He confirmed a “difficult and critical situation” become “catastrophic”. A fifth soldier, ‘Artem’, speaks via Telegram from a military hospital, after being injured. He explains that he was deployed near the locality of Loknya, where Ukrainian forces opposed resistance “fighting like lions”. “It is important that to date the Ukrainian armed forces have created this buffer area, thanks to which the Russians cannot enter Sumy”, is its version. On March 13 Russia made it known that the situation in the Kursk was “fully” under its “control”.

Analysts estimate that the Ukrainians have lost two thirds of the thousand square kilometers won at the beginning of the offensive. The commander of the Ukrainian forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, insisted on the military retreat towards “more favorable positions”, still in the Kursk, stating that the Russians suffered more than 50,000 losses during the operation, between injured soldiers, fallen and captured.