KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk, a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all.
Battles are so intense that some Ukrainian commanders can鈥檛 evacuate the dead. Communication lags and poorly timed tactics have cost lives, and troops have little way to counterattack, seven front-line soldiers and commanders told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could discuss sensitive operations.
Since being caught unaware by the lightning Ukrainian incursion, more than 50,000 troops in the region, including some from its ally . Precise numbers are hard to obtain, but Moscow鈥檚 counterattack has killed and wounded thousands and the overstretched Ukrainians have lost more then 40% of the 984 square kilometers (380 square miles) of Kursk they seized in August.
Its full-scale invasion three years ago left Russia holding a fifth of Ukraine, and has hinted that he hopes controlling Kursk will help force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war. But five Ukrainian and Western officials in Kyiv who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss sensitive military matters said they fear gambling on Kursk will weaken the whole 1000-kilometer (621-mile) front line, and Ukraine is losing precious ground in the east.
鈥淲e have, as they say, hit a hornet鈥檚 nest. We have stirred up another hot spot,鈥 said Stepan Lutsiv, a major in the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade.
The border raid that became an occupation
Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said that Ukraine launched the operation because officials thought Russia was about to launch a new attack on northeast Ukraine.
It began on Aug. 5 with an order to leave Ukraine鈥檚 Sumy region for what they thought would be a nine-day raid to stun the enemy. It became an occupation that Ukrainians welcomed as their smaller country gained leverage and embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gathering his men, one company commander told them: 鈥淲e鈥檙e making history; the whole world will know about us because this hasn鈥檛 been done since World War II.
Privately, he was less certain.
鈥淚t seemed crazy,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 understand why.鈥
Shocked by success achieved largely because the Russians were caught by surprise, the Ukrainians were ordered to advance beyond the original mission to the town of Korenevo, 25 kilometers (16 miles) into Russia. That was one of the first places where Russian troops counterattacked.
By early November the Russians began regaining territory rapidly. Once in awe of what they accomplished, troops鈥 opinions are shifting as they come to terms with losses. The company commander said half of his troops are dead or wounded.
Some front-line commanders said conditions are tough, morale is low and troops are questioning command decisions, even the very purpose of occupying Kursk.
Another commander said that some orders his men have received don鈥檛 reflect reality because of delays in communication. Delays occur especially when territory is lost to Russian troops, he said.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 understand where our side is, where the enemy is, what鈥檚 under our control, and what isn鈥檛,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 understand the operational situation, we so act at our own discretion."
One platoon commander said higher ups have repeatedly turned down his requests to change his unit鈥檚 defensive position because he knows his men can't hold the line.
鈥淭hose people who stand until the end are ending up MIA,鈥 he said. He said he also knows of at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers whose bodies had been abandoned over the last four months because the battles were too intense to evacuate them without more casualties.
No option to retreat as Russia doubles down
Ukrainian soldiers said they were not prepared for the aggressive Russian response in Kursk, and cannot counterattack or pull back.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no other option. We鈥檒l fight here because if we just pull back to our borders, they won鈥檛 stop; they鈥檒l keep advancing,鈥 said one drone unit commander.
The AP requested comment from Ukraine's General Staff but did not receive a response before publication.
have slowed the Russian advance and who joined the fighting last month are easy targets for drones and artillery because they lack combat discipline and often move in large groups in the open, Ukrainian troops said.
On Monday, Zelenskyy said 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and wounded. But they appear to be learning from their mistakes, soldiers added, by becoming more adept at camouflaging near forested lines.
One clash took place last week near Vorontsovo tract, a forested area between the settlements of Kremenne and Vorontsovo.
Until last week, the area was under Ukraine's control. This week part of it has been lost to Russian forces and Ukrainian troops fear they will reach a crucial logistics route.
Eyeing frontline losses in the eastern region known as the Donbas 鈥 where Russia is closing on a crucial supply hub 鈥 some soldiers are more vocal about whether Kursk has been worth it.
鈥淎ll the military can think about now is that Donbas has simply been sold," the platoon commander said. 鈥淎t what price?鈥
