Ukrainian troops struggle in Kursk amidst Russian gains
"The situation is getting worse every day," one Ukrainian soldier told the BBC. "We don’t see the goal. Our land is not here." The soldiers, exhausted from defending the Kursk region against the Russian offensive, have been instructed to hold on and wait for Trump.
Nearly four months after Ukrainian troops launched a rapid offensive in the Kursk region, text messages from soldiers fighting there paint a grim picture of a battle they do not fully understand and fear losing.
Chronic lack of sleep and relentless shelling
The BBC contacted several soldiers serving in Kursk through Telegram, one of whom recently left. The BBC emphasises that it ensured its interviewees' anonymity and the names in the material had been changed.
The soldiers speak of harsh weather conditions and chronic lack of sleep caused by continuous shelling from Russia, including terrifying 3-tonne glide bombs. They are also retreating, with Russian forces gradually regaining ground.
"This trend will continue," wrote Pavlo on 26 November. "It’s only a matter of time."
Soldiers in Kursk are under enormous pressure, constantly bombarded by Russians. Pavlo spoke of extreme exhaustion, lack of rotation, and the arrival of units composed mainly of older men who came there directly from other fronts, often without rest.
Soldiers' complaints about commanders, orders, or lack of equipment are not unusual; they are often expressed under harsh conditions.
Soldiers don't understand what they're fighting for
However, the messages received are almost uniformly grim, suggesting motivation is an issue. Some question whether one of the original goals of the operation – to divert Russian soldiers from Ukraine’s eastern front – has been achieved. Now, they say, orders are clear: hold on to this small piece of Russian territory until the new US president is sworn in with new policies, which is expected by the end of January, writes the BBC.
"The main task facing us is to hold the maximum territory until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations," Pavlo said. "In order to exchange it for something later. No-one knows what," he added.
At the end of November, President Zelensky indicated that both sides were considering changing the US administration. "I am sure that he [Putin] wants to push us out by 20 January." "It is very important for him to demonstrate that he controls the situation. But he does not control the situation," he said.
To help Ukraine repel Russian counterattacks in Kursk, the USA, the UK, and France allowed Kyiv to use long-range weapons against targets in Russia.
This has not lifted the soldiers' morale. "No-one sits in a cold trench and prays for missiles," wrote Pavlo. "We live and fight here and now. And missiles fly somewhere else," he added.
The ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles may have caused significant damage to distant command points and ammunition depots, but these successes seem remote to soldiers on the front line. "We don't talk about missiles," wrote Myroslav. "In the bunkers we talk about family and rotation. About simple things."
Ukraine, struggling with Russia's slow advances in the east, emphasises the need to hold Kursk, the BBC believes.
North Korean soldiers near Kursk: "We haven’t seen them"
In November, Russian troops captured 280 square miles of Ukrainian territory, exceeding October's gain of 235 square miles, reported AFP, citing data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Kremlin has already reclaimed 40% of the territories occupied by Ukrainians. Despite losses, Vadym believes the campaign in Kursk is still crucial. "Some [Russian] forces from the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions," he wrote.
However, some soldiers feel they are in the wrong place. "Our place should have been there [in eastern Ukraine], not here in someone else’s land," Pavlo believes. "We don’t need these Kursk forests, in which we left so many comrades," he added.
In Kyiv, senior commanders defend the operation in Kursk, claiming it brings both military and political benefits. "This situation annoys Putin. He is suffering huge losses," said one of the commanders.
As for how long the Ukrainian troops will be able to hold Kursk, the answer was simple: as long as it is militarily viable.
Furthermore, Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers admitted they have not yet encountered North Korean military personnel, whose deployment to the Kursk region was announced in Kyiv. "I haven’t seen or heard anything about Koreans, alive or dead," said one of the Ukrainian soldiers. The soldiers said they were ordered to capture at least one North Korean prisoner, preferably with documents. In reward, they were promised additional leave. "It’s very difficult to find a Korean in the dark Kursk forest," a Ukrainian soldier told BBC News.
