Ukraine has lost 40% of Russia’s Kursk region, military source says

 

Honor guards carry the coffin of fallen Ukrainian serviceman Serhii Solovyov, who was killed during fighting with Russian forces in Kursk on Nov. 12, during the funeral ceremony in Irpin, Ukraine, on Nov. 21, 2024.

KYIV, UKRAINE —

Ukraine has lost more than 40% of the territory in Russia\’s Kursk region that it rapidly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces have mounted waves of counterassaults, a senior Ukrainian military source said.

The source, who is on Ukraine\’s General Staff, said Russia had deployed some 59,000 troops to the Kursk region since Kyiv\’s forces swept in and advanced swiftly, catching Moscow unprepared 2½ years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“At most, we controlled about 1,376 square kilometers; now, of course, this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks,” the source said. “Now we control approximately 800 square kilometers. We will hold this territory for as long as is militarily appropriate.”

The Kursk offensive was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II and caught Moscow unprepared.

With the thrust into Kursk, Kyiv aimed to stem Russian attacks in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, force Russia to pull back forces gradually advancing in the east and give Kyiv extra leverage in any peace negotiations.

But Russian forces are still steadily advancing in Ukraine\’s eastern Donetsk region.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin\’s main objectives were to occupy the entire Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and oust Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region.

“For Putin, the most important thing is to push us out of the Kursk region. I am sure that he wants to push us out by January 20,” Zelenskiy told media, referring to when Donald Trump will be inaugurated as U.S. president. “It is very important for him [Putin] to demonstrate that he is in control of the situation.”

The Ukrainian General Staff source reiterated that about 11,000 North Korean troops had arrived in the Kursk region in support of Russia, but that the bulk of their forces was still finalizing their training.

By：VOA