Ukrainian soldiers fight against endless enemy troops in Kursk

Ukrainian soldiers fight against endless enemy troops in Kursk

At dawn, there was an attack in the Russian Course, which did not lead to a change of shooting, but revealed the intensity of the disputes in this area. Five Russian soldiers entered the gray light of Sunday, but according to thermal drone pictures during the experiment to hide in the forest, killed, killed or wounded.

First impressions from the front line

"I have the impression that the Russians have an infinite number of people," said Oleksandr, a unit commander of the 225th Sturm Battalion, who described the argument from a café in the Ukrainian city of Sumy, 11 hours later. "They send groups and almost nobody survives. And the next day there are new groups. The next Russians don't seem to know what happened to the previous ones. They go back to the unknown. Nobody tells them about it."

The challenges of fighting

Oleksandr and two colleagues sitting nearby suffered hearing loss from the constant shots. They provide a rare insight into the almost four -month Ukrainian occupation of the Kursk area. The invasion in August represented a rare tactical success and strategic profit for Kiev, although the high commitment of people and armaments technique has led to criticism in this attack. The bottlenecks created by the invasion have contributed to Russia's advance on the Eastern Front in the Donbass region.

strategic considerations on the courtyard offensive

Proponents of the course offensive argue that they have given Kiev crucial levers with regard to future peace talks-possibly initiated by the elected US President Donald Trump. This means that Ukraine has to maintain a presence in the region at least until spring.

goals and demands to the West

Oleksandr expressed confidence that his unit can withstand, but is less sure what the exact goal is. "I don't know what the goal really is," he said. "Maybe we should run around here for four months and then turn around and go, for example ... If the goal is to keep up to a certain point, we will do that." When asked what his message was to Trump, Oleksandr asked the West to comply with the security guarantees that he gave Ukraine in exchanging weapons - in a contract signed in 1994, known as Budapest Memorandum.

"You took away our nuclear weapons to us? You promised us your roof," said Oleksandr, using colloquial expression for protection. "Keep your word. We are slaughtered, and you are still trying to play games to defend your interests. You should have gave everything to end this war in two days. Who will believe the words of the USA or Englands who are going to pants before Russia?

Current fights and losses

The last Russian attacks in Oleksandr's area in Kursk have proven to be as ineffective as it is expensive. Ukrainian civil servants have added separately that 40 % of the territory they had conquered in late summer has now been recaptured by the Russians. Oleksandr's unit has not slept for three days, and you have not left the front line for eight months and take part in bitter battles in the Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar.

The composition of the Russian troops

He explained that the Russian troops that the Ukrainians face in Kursk consist of a mixture of well -trained paratroopers of the 76th brigade as well as less organized Chechen fighters and African mercenaries. But he saw no signs for the 12,000 North Korean troops, which are said to have been sent to Kursk according to the Pentagon. The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj also told the Japanese news agency Kyodo on Sunday that some North Koreans were killed by Ukrainian armed forces and that they were ultimately used as "cannon feed" from Kremlin.

A look into the future

"When we catch them or see a body," said Oleksandr, "then I will surely know that they are here." Three weeks ago, his unit had to cope with an attack of 40 armored vehicles and around 300 infantrymen. His drone commander with the call sign "JS" for Java Script reported that the unit killed 50 Russians that day. "The vehicles that managed to get through the infantry," said JS. "Then we ended the infantry. And it went for almost 24 hours without sleep, and the next day we did the ones who could hide on the first day before the drone attack."