Exhausted Ukrainian Forces in Russia Ordered to Hold Positions Awaiting New US President

The prevailing sentiment is grim, bordering on resentment. “The situation is getting worse every day.” “We don’t see the goal. Our land is not here.” Nearly four months following the swift Ukrainian offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, communications from soldiers engaged in combat there depict a bleak scenario of a conflict they struggle to comprehend and worry they are on the verge of losing. Communication has been established, through Telegram, with multiple soldiers deployed in Kursk, including one who recently departed. An agreement has been made to keep their identities confidential. The names used within this report are pseudonyms. Accounts from these individuals describe severe weather and persistent sleep deprivation, attributed to continuous Russian shelling, featuring formidable, 3,000kg glide bombs. Furthermore, they are withdrawing as Russian forces progressively reclaim ground. “This trend will continue,” Pavlo communicated on 26 November. “It’s only a matter of time.” Pavlo detailed profound exhaustion, insufficient troop rotation, and the deployment of units, primarily composed of middle-aged men, transferred directly from other battlefields with minimal or no rest periods. It is not uncommon for military personnel to voice grievances regarding their commanders, directives, and equipment shortages. This behavior is typical for soldiers operating under challenging conditions. Given the significant enemy pressure and the onset of winter, a high degree of optimism would be unexpected. Nevertheless, the communications received are nearly universally pessimistic, indicating a potential issue with morale. Certain individuals questioned the effectiveness of one of the operation’s primary objectives: to draw Russian troops away from Ukraine’s eastern front. The current directives, according to them, involve retaining this limited portion of Russian land until a new US president, bringing fresh policies, assumes office in the White House by the end of January. “The main task facing us is to hold the maximum territory until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations,” Pavlo stated. “In order to exchange it for something later. No-one knows what.” In late November, President Zelensky suggested that both parties were considering the impending shift in the US administration. “I am sure that he [Putin] wants to push us out by 20 January,” he commented. “It is very important for him to demonstrate that he controls the situation. But he does not control the situation.” To assist Ukraine in countering Russian offensives in Kursk, the US, UK, and France have each authorized Kyiv to deploy long-range armaments against targets within Russia. This measure appears to have had little impact on morale. “No-one sits in a cold trench and prays for missiles,” Pavlo remarked. “We live and fight here and now. And missiles fly somewhere else.” While Atacms and Storm Shadow missiles might have been employed with significant, even destructive, impact on remote command centers and ammunition depots, these achievements feel distant to troops at the front. “We don’t talk about missiles,” Myroslav stated. “In the bunkers we talk about family and rotation. About simple things.” From Ukraine’s perspective, Russia’s gradual, attritional progress in eastern Ukraine emphasizes the critical need to maintain positions in Kursk. During October alone, Russia managed to seize approximately 500 sq km of Ukrainian land, marking its largest territorial gain since the initial phase of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Conversely, Ukraine has already relinquished approximately 40% of the land it captured in Kursk during August. “The key is not to capture but to hold,” Vadym commented, “and we’re struggling a bit with that.” Notwithstanding the setbacks, Vadym believes the Kursk operation remains crucial. “It did manage to divert some [Russian] forces from the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions,” he noted. However, some of the interviewed soldiers expressed a sentiment of being misplaced, believing it was more critical to be on Ukraine’s eastern front instead of occupying a segment of Russia. “Our place should have been there [in eastern Ukraine], not here in someone else’s land,” Pavlo asserted. “We don’t need these Kursk forests, in which we left so many comrades.” Furthermore, despite weeks of reports indicating that up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Kursk to participate in the Russian counter-offensive, the troops with whom contact was made have not yet encountered them. “I haven’t seen or heard anything about Koreans, alive or dead,” Vadym replied when questioned about these reports. The Ukrainian armed forces have published recordings they claim are intercepted North Korean radio transmissions. Service members reported receiving instructions to apprehend at least one North Korean captive, ideally with identification documents. They mentioned incentives, such as drones or additional leave, being offered for the successful capture of a North Korean soldier. “It’s very difficult to find a Korean in the dark Kursk forest,” Pavlo remarked with sarcasm. “Especially if he’s not here.” Veterans who participated in prior unsuccessful operations perceive similarities with the current situation in Kursk. Between October 2023 and July this year, Ukrainian forces endeavored to maintain a small bridgehead at Krynky, situated on the Dnipro River’s left bank, approximately 25 miles (40km) upstream from the liberated city of Kherson. This bridgehead, originally conceived as a potential launching point for deeper incursions into Russian-controlled areas of southern Ukraine, was ultimately relinquished. The operation incurred significant costs. An estimated 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are believed to have been killed or declared missing. Some viewed it as a diversionary tactic, intended to draw focus away from the absence of advancements in other sectors. There is concern that a comparable scenario may be unfolding in Kursk. “Good idea but bad implementation,” states Myroslav, a marine officer who served in Krynky and is currently in Kursk. “Media effect, but no military result.” Military experts maintain that despite all the difficulties, the Kursk campaign retains significant importance. “It’s the only area where we maintain the initiative,” Serhiy Kuzan, from the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, informed me. He conceded that Ukrainian forces were enduring “incredibly difficult conditions” in Kursk, but noted that Russia was committing substantial resources to dislodge them—resources it would rather deploy elsewhere. “The longer we can hold this Kursk front – with adequate equipment, artillery, Himars and of course long-range weapons to strike their rear – the better,” he remarked. In Kyiv, high-ranking commanders endorse the Kursk operation, contending that it continues to yield military and political benefits. “This situation annoys Putin,” one individual recently stated, requesting anonymity. “He is suffering heavy losses there.” Regarding the duration Ukrainian forces could sustain their positions in Kursk, the response was unequivocal. “As long as it is feasible from the military point of view.” Further reporting provided by Anastasiia Levchenko. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.