Ukrainian officials have acknowledged that 40% of the territory seized by Ukraine in late summer has been recaptured by Russian troops, but Russia’s recent offensives in the Kursk region have not yielded significant results and have been difficult for both the attacking and defending sides. This is reported by CNN, referring to the situation in the Russian region on the border with Ukraine, where Russian forces are actively trying to regain lost ground.
The Russian attack, which took place at dawn on Sunday in the Kursk region, did not result in any firefights, but showed the high intensity of fighting on Russian territory. According to the thermodrones, five Russian soldiers who were trying to hide in the forest were killed or wounded by the drones.
Oleksandr, a unit commander with the 225th Air Assault Battalion, shared his observations, noting that the Russians do not stop after suffering heavy losses: “They send new groups, and almost no one is left alive. They go there, into the unknown. No one tells them what happened to their predecessors.” He and his colleagues have already survived more than 11 hours of fighting in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.
The August invasion of Kursk was an important tactical and strategic achievement for Ukraine, although the use of large numbers of soldiers and armoured vehicles has drawn criticism from military analysts for its resource costs. Some supporters of the operation believe it gave Kyiv an important advantage in future peace talks.
Oleksandr stressed that at this stage it is not clear what the ultimate goal of the operation is, but he believes that his unit will withstand the pressure: “We are ready to hold out until a certain point. We may have to stay here for another four months.”
As for his message to Donald Trump, Oleksandr called on the West to keep the promises made in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum: “You took away our nuclear weapons? Now promise to protect us!” he said, emphasising the sense of betrayal by Western countries in the context of the war in Ukraine.
On the situation with Russian troops near Kursk, Alexander said they are a mix of well-trained paratroopers, Chechens and African mercenaries. However, he saw no evidence of North Korean troops, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that some North Koreans had already been killed by the Ukrainian military.
“When we catch them or see a body, then I will know for sure that they are here,” the commander said, noting that the situation in Kursk only increases tension in this strategic area.
