Ivan Tymochko. Photo: espreso.tv
For the Russian Federation to repel the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) in the Kursk region, up to 100,000 personnel may be required. This was stated by Ivan Timochko, the head of the Council of Reservists of the Russian Ground Forces, in an interview with the YouTube channel RBC-Ukraine.
Need for Mass Deployment
According to Timochko, creating an effective defense and preventing further Ukrainian advances requires a significant number of troops. “To stop the UAF in Kursk, they need to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers. For quality defense and to halt our forces, they will need between 50,000 and 100,000 personnel, specifically line brigades and units, not the disorganized forces they currently have,” Timochko explained.
Building Logistics
Timochko also emphasized that to effectively counter the Ukrainian advance, Russia needs to deploy line brigades and units—infantry and airborne troops. However, this first requires establishing logistics: setting up weapon depots, arranging food supplies, and ensuring fuel and ammunition delivery.
Mobile Warfare and Strategic Shifts
“I’m not even mentioning a parallel Russian advance to push back our forces—it’s complicated and will stretch out over time. But this will also depend on local populations—whether they are prepared to resist. Right now, we see they are not inclined to resist the UAF. Therefore, Putin will have to rely solely on the military, which will force him to change his war strategy,” he said.
Timochko believes that a different type of warfare is needed in the Kursk region—mobile warfare. “This requires a lot of equipment, and even the units currently facing the UAF are only 30-40% equipped; the rest is at the front in Ukraine,” he noted.
Ukrainian Operations in the Kursk Region
Since August 6, Ukrainian forces have been advancing in the Kursk region of Russia. During this period, at least 82 settlements have come under Ukrainian control. However, there are reports that Russia has started redeploying additional forces to the Kursk region to counter the Ukrainian advance.
Source: RBC-Ukraine
