25 Nov, 2024 13:09
Ukrainian troops retreating in Kursk Region – WSJ
The US newspaper claims that Russian forces are advancing non-stop, having the upper hand in terms of manpower and weaponry
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 in 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 thatRussian 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 dronesas Kiev. Another soldier told the newspaper that theUkrainians were outnumbered roughly ten-to-onesoutheast 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 plightin Kursk Region.The satellite-based internet systemhas long been seen as acornerstone of the Ukrainian frontline communication systemelsewhere.
Low morale among Ukrainian troops deployed to Kursk Region is another problem, the media outlet claims. Vyachyslav Khomenko, a platoon commander with Ukraine’s 21st Mechanized Brigade, told reporters thathis unit was mostly made up of inexperienced and unmotivated conscripts. He added that he had to give a pep talk to his “tired” men every now and then.
Some Ukrainiantroops 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 theRussians would “eventually push us back,” given their superior “power and more resources.”
Earlier this week, El Pais reported thatUkraine had prioritizedholding 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.
(https://www.rt.com/russia/608172-wsj-ukrainians-rretreating-russia-kursk-region/
It sure sounds like they are continuing the war, to continue the war, regardless of how many of their soldiers die or how much equipment is destroyed. Probably Bidan's orders to make life difficult for incoming Trump.