Ukrainian troops retreating in Kursk Region – WSJ
The Ukrainian military has been steadily losing ground in Russia’s Kursk Region as Moscow’s forces have intensified their advances in recent weeks, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The US newspaper claims that the Kremlin is seeking to flush Kiev’s troops out of its internationally recognized territory before US President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20.
Ukraine launched its incursion into Kursk Region in early August, with senior officials in Kiev expressing hope that it would help slow down Russian offensives elsewhere. However, Moscow’s forces have nevertheless been advancing steadily in the Donetsk People’s Republic in recent months.
On Monday, the WSJ reported that hostilities in the Russian region had reached an intensity unseen in most other parts of the front line. The publication claimed that, in recent weeks, Moscow’s forces had retaken nearly half the territory it lost to Kiev’s military earlier this year.
The media outlet quoted a Ukrainian battalion commander, identified by his call sign ‘Geniy’, as saying that Russian troops were “assaulting all the time – morning, day, night.” He estimated that, in the area where his 47th Brigade is operating, Moscow has approximately three times as many men and six times as many kamikaze drones as Kiev. Another soldier told the newspaper that the Ukrainians were outnumbered roughly ten-to-one southeast of the city of Sudzha.
According to the WSJ, Moscow’s heavy glide bombs and an inability to use Starlink in Russian territory had further compounded the Ukrainian military’s plight in Kursk Region. The satellite-based internet system has long been seen as a cornerstone of the Ukrainian frontline communication system elsewhere.
Low morale among Ukrainian troops deployed to Kursk Region is another problem, the media outlet claims. Some Ukrainian troops are reportedly questioning the rationale behind the entire operation on Russian soil at a time when Kiev is rapidly losing ground in Donbass.
The WSJ quoted battalion commander ‘Geniy’ as concluding that the Russians would “eventually push us back,” given their superior “power and more resources.”
Earlier this week, El Pais reported that Ukraine had prioritized holding onto Kursk Region over pushing back Russian advances in Donbass.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month that Ukrainian “losses [in Kursk Region] are colossal,” exceeding 30,000 casualties.
