Ukraine may lose control of key areas of Kursk region - Associated Press
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian troops faced serious challenges in the Kursk region due to exhaustion and demoralization. Russia has deployed 50,000 troops, including North Korean units, resulting in the loss of 40% of the captured territory.
Ukrainian troops are facing severe challenges in the Kursk region, with exhaustion, demoralization, untimely orders and an aggressive Russian counterattack reinforced by North Korean units threatening control of the region and key logistics routes.
Writes UNN with reference to the Associated Press.
Details
The Associated Press writes that five months after a surprise offensive into Russian territory, Ukrainian troops are facing significant challenges in the Kursk region. Among the problems are exhaustion, demoralization, and the risk of losing control of the region, which some consider strategically important, while others question the need to hold it.
The fighting in Kursk is so fierce that commanders are sometimes unable to evacuate the bodies of the dead. Delays in communication and ill-timed tactics lead to significant losses, while resources for an effective counterattack are limited. Seven soldiers and commanders on the front line told the Associated Press anonymously.
Although the Ukrainian invasion in the summer came as a surprise to Russia, it quickly deployed more than 50,000 troops to the region, including units from North Korea. Moscow's counterattack resulted in thousands of Ukrainian casualties and the loss of more than 40% of the 984 square kilometers that were seized in August.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees holding Kursk as a possible lever for negotiations with Moscow. However, Ukrainian and Western officials in Kyiv have expressed concern that efforts in the region are weakening the rest of the 1,000-kilometer front line, putting eastern territories at risk.
We have, as they say, hit a hornet's nest. We have stirred up another hot spot.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, said that the decision to launch the operation was made due to the expectation of a new Russian offensive in the northeast of Ukraine.
The operation began on August 5, when the order was given to leave the Sumy region for a nine-day raid aimed at catching the enemy off guard. The maneuver turned into an occupation, which was welcomed in Ukraine as it gave the country leverage and embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gathering his men, one company commander told them: “We are making history; the whole world will know about us, because this has not happened since World War II.
He was less confident in private.
“It seemed crazy. I didn't understand why,” he said.
The success of the Ukrainian offensive, which was achieved by taking the Russian forces by surprise, forced the command to order an advance to the town of Korenevo, located 25 kilometers inland from Russia. However, in early November, the Russians began to actively counterattack and quickly regain territory. One of the commanders' companies lost half of its men to death and wounds, and morale on the front lines dropped significantly.
Some commanders complain of difficult conditions, uncoordinated orders due to delays in communication, and lack of understanding of the operational situation. One of them noted that due to confusion over the lines of control, soldiers are often forced to act at their own discretion. Another commander said that his repeated requests to change defensive positions that his soldiers could not hold went unanswered by higher command.
“Those people who stand to the end end up being captured,” he said.
He also said that he knew of at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers whose bodies had been abandoned over the past four months because the fighting was too intense to evacuate them without causing more casualties. Ukrainian soldiers said they were not prepared for Russia's aggressive response in Kursk, and could neither counterattack nor retreat.
There is no other option. We will fight here, because if we just retreat to our borders, they will not stop, they will continue to advance
In a written response to questions from the Associated Press, Ukraine's General Staff said that Ukrainian combat units inflict losses on Russian personnel and military equipment on a daily basis and that they are provided with “everything necessary” to carry out combat missions.
Troop management is carried out in accordance with situational awareness and operational information, taking into account the operational situation in the areas of mission performance
Longer-range U.S. weapons have slowed the Russian offensive considerably, and North Korean soldiers who joined the fighting last month have become easy targets for Ukrainian drones and artillery.
Ukrainian military officials say these soldiers lack combat discipline and often move in large groups in open areas.
According to President Zelenskyy, North Korean casualties were announced on Monday at 3,000 dead and wounded. At the same time, the military notes that North Korean soldiers are adapting, becoming more cautious and skilled at camouflage near forested areas.
Last week, there was a clash in the Vorontsovo tract, in a wooded area between the towns of Kreminna and Vorontsovo. Until now, the territory remained under Ukrainian control, but part of it was lost due to counterattacks by Russian troops.
The Ukrainian military fears that this could jeopardize an important logistics route. Against the backdrop of losses in the eastern region, particularly in the Donbas, where Russian forces are trying to cut off critical supply lines, the Ukrainian military is increasingly questioning the feasibility of the Kursk operation.
All the military can think about now is that Donbas has been sold. But at what price?
Recall
Ukrainian troops have already lost half of the seized territory in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. According to Bloomberg, due to the lack of manpower and the presence of North Korean troops, the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be forced to retreat by spring.
