Ukrainian troops to be soon chased out of Kursk Enclave

Five months after their surprise but strategically foolish “offensive” into Russia, Ukrainian troops gained a small foothold but we’re soon contained and started to bleed slowly.

Now they are getting demoralized day by day from the looming defeat in Kursk, an Enclave Zelensky wants to hold at all costs while others in the military question the value of having gone in at all.

Battles are so intense that most Ukrainian commanders can’t evacuate the dead. Communication lags and poorly timed tactics have cost lives, and troops have little way to counterattack, many front-line soldiers and commanders told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could discuss sensitive operations.

Though caught unaware by the unexpected Ukrainian incursion, Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops in the area, including some from its ally North Korea.

Precise numbers are hard to obtain, but Moscow’s counterattack has killed and wounded thousands of Ukrainian Forces including Western mercenaries.

The Ukrainians have lost more than 40% of the 984 square kilometers of the Kursk enclave they had captured in August.

The Ukraine conflict started three years ago left Russia holding a fifth of Ukraine, all Russian speaking areas. So Ukrainian President Zelensky had hoped controlling Kursk will help force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war.

However all his Surprise attack could get hold of was a small enclave. In fact now everyone can see that gambling on Kursk has weakened the whole 1000-kilometer front and Ukraine is losing precious ground, resources and soldiers in the east.

“We have, as they say, hit a hornet’s nest. We have stirred up another hot spot,” said Stepan Lutsiv, an Ukrainian Major in the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade.

Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said that Ukraine launched the operation because officials thought Russia was about to launch a new attack on northeast Ukraine.

It began on Aug. 5 with an order to leave Ukraine’s Sumy region for what they thought would be a nine-day raid to stun the enemy.

The offensive soon petered out but Zelensky boasted that he had gained a leverage over President Vladimir Putin.

Gathering their men, as ordered from above, Ukrainian company commanders told them: “We’re making history; the whole world will know about us because this hasn’t been done since World War II.

Privately, they were less certain.”It seemed crazy,” he said. “I didn’t understand why.”

Shocked by the success achieved largely because the Russians were caught by surprise, Zelensky most foolishly ordered his forces to advance to the town of Korenevo, 25 kilometers into Russia.

That was one of the first places where Russian troops counterattacked. By early November the Russians began regaining territory rapidly.

Once in awe of what they accomplished, Zelensky’s troops’ opinions are now shifting as they come to terms with losses. The company commander said half of his troops were dead or wounded.

Some front-line commanders realized conditions becoming tough, morale getting low and troops even questioning command decisions, even the very purpose of occupying Kursk.

Another commander said that some orders his men have received don’t reflect reality because of delays in communication. Delays occur especially when they have to carry out withdrawal under fire.

“They don’t understand where our side is, where the enemy is, what’s under our control, and what isn’t,” he said. “They don’t understand the operational situation, we so act at our own discretion.”

One platoon commander said higher-ups have repeatedly turned down his requests to change his unit’s defensive position because he knows his men can’t hold the line.

“Those people who stand until the end are ending up MIA,” he said. He said he also knows of at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers whose bodies had been abandoned over the last four months because the battles were too intense to evacuate them without more casualties.

Ukrainian soldiers said they were “not prepared “ for the aggressive Russian response in Kursk, and cannot counterattack or pull back.”

There’s no other option. We’ll fight here because if we just pull back to our borders, they won’t stop; they’ll keep advancing,” said one drone unit commander.

On the other hand Zelensky’s propaganda continues unabated. Ukraine’s General Staff told The Associated Press in a written response to questions that Ukrainian combat units are inflicting losses to Russian personnel and military equipment on a daily basis, and are provided with “everything necessary” to carry out combat duties.”

Troops are managed in accordance to situational awareness and operational information, taking into the account the operational situation in areas where tasks are performed,” the response said.

“American longer-range weapons have slowed the Russian advance and North Korean soldiers who joined the fighting last month are easy targets for drones and artillery because they lack combat discipline and often move in large numbers “ a propaganda with few takers.

On Monday, Zelensky said 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and wounded. But they appear to be learning from their mistakes, soldiers added, by becoming more adept at camouflaging near forested lines.

Last week near Vorontsovo tract, a forested area between the settlements of Kremenne and Vorontsovo was regained by the Russians.

Eyeing frontline losses in the eastern region known as the Donbas — where Russia is closing on a crucial supply hub — some soldiers are more vocal about whether Kursk has been worth it.”

All the military can think about now is that Donbas has simply been sold,” the platoon commander said. “At what price?