Five months after the invasion of Russia, Ukrainian forces are demoralized by the growing threat of bloodshed and defeat. Kurska region that some want to preserve at all costs while others question the value of moving into it.
The fighting is so intense that some Ukrainian commanders cannot evacuate the dead. Seven front-line soldiers and commanders said communication lapses and poorly timed tactics cost lives, leaving soldiers with little way to counterattack. Associated Press They spoke on condition of anonymity so they could discuss sensitive operations.
Since the Ukraine incursion, Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops in the region, including some from its ally North Korea. Accurate figures are hard to come by, but Moscow's counteroffensive has killed and wounded thousands, and Ukrainians lost more than 40 percent of Kursk's 984 square kilometers in August.
Its full-scale offensive three years ago saw Russia seize a fifth of Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled that he hopes control of Kursk will convince Moscow to end the war. It will help to force the conversation. But five Ukrainian and Western officials in Kiev, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters freely, said they feared gambling on Kursk would weaken the entire 1,000-kilometer front line, and Ukraine is losing valuable land in the east.
“We have, as they say, hit a hornet's nest. We have stirred up another hot spot,” said Stepan Lutsev, a major with the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade.
A border raid that became an occupation.
Army chief Oleksandr Serskyi has said that Ukraine launched the operation because officials believed Russia was about to launch a new attack on northeastern Ukraine.
It began on August 5 with orders to leave the Sumy region of Ukraine for what they believed would be a nine-day offensive to surprise the enemy. It became a coup that Ukrainians welcomed as their tiny country took advantage and embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Get breaking national news.
For breaking news that affects Canada and the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
Gathering his men, a company commander told them: “We are making history. The whole world will know about us as it has not been done since World War II.
Privately, he was less convinced.
“It seemed crazy,” he said. “I don't understand why.”
Shocked by the largely achieved success and surprising the Russians, the Ukrainians were ordered to move beyond the original mission to the town of Korynovo, 25 kilometers away in Russia. It was one of the first places where Russian troops counterattacked.
By early November, the Russians began rapidly regaining territory. Horrified by what they did, the soldiers' opinions are now changing as they recover from the losses. The company commander said that half of his soldiers had been killed or wounded.
Some front-line commanders said conditions were tough, morale was low and troops were questioning command decisions, even the goal of taking Kursk.
Another commander said some of the orders his men received did not reflect reality due to communication delays. He said that the delay is especially when the territory falls into the hands of Russian troops.
He said that they do not understand where our side is, where the enemy is, what is under our control and what is not. “They don't understand the operational situation, so we act at our discretion.”
A platoon commander said that superiors had repeatedly turned down his requests to change his unit's defensive position because he knew his men could not hold the line.
“Those who stand to the end are ending MIA,” he said. He said he also knew of at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers whose bodies had been left over the past four months because the fighting was too intense to be evacuated without much loss of life.
No retreat option when Russia doubles down.
Ukrainian troops said they were unprepared for an aggressive Russian response in Kursk and could neither counterattack nor retreat.
“There is no other option. We will fight here because if we just retreat towards our borders, they will not stop. They will continue to advance,” said a drone unit commander.
The General Staff of Ukraine said this Associated Press In a written response to questions, Ukrainian combat units are harming Russian personnel and military equipment on a daily basis, and are provided with “everything” to carry out combat duties.
“Troops are managed according to situational awareness and operational information, taking into account the operational situation in the areas where operations are carried out,” the response said.
Ukrainian troops say US long-range missiles have slowed the Russian advance and that North Korean troops who joined the fighting last month are easy targets for drones and artillery because they are disciplined. Discipline is lacking and they often move openly in large groups.
On Monday, Zielinski said 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and wounded. But they seem to be learning from their mistakes, the soldiers added, becoming more adept at jumping closer to forest lines.
One clash occurred last week near the Vorontsovo tract, a forested area between the settlements of Kremen and Vorontsovo.
Until last week, the area was under the control of Ukraine. Part of it has been lost to Russian forces this week, and Ukrainian troops fear they may have reached a key supply route.
Looking at front-line losses in the eastern region known as Donbas — where Russia is closing off a key supply hub — some troops are becoming more vocal about whether Kursk is worth it.
“Now the whole army can think that Donbass has been sold,” said the platoon commander. “At what cost?”
