Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Factions' statement: The attendees agreed to support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures, including the withdrawal of the occupation and lifting the siege.
Factions' statement: Calling for an end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons and the necessity of obligating the occupation to do so.
Statement: The current moment is crucial, making the meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of our people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom.
Factions' statement: Call for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.
Factions' statement: Continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Statement of the factions: Emphasis on the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independent national decision.
Statement: Approval to establish an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Statement: The committee is responsible for managing life and services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions, based on transparency and accountability.
Resistance factions' statement: Agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee of independent technocrats.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two people martyred in the Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle in Toul.

Lost ground, lost soldiers: Ukraine's Kursk offensive divides nation

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 22 Mar 2025 21:27
5 Min Read

The surprise assault in August 2024 marked the largest incursion into Russian territory since World War II.

Listen
  • x
  • AP
    In this photo taken from a video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, a Russian soldier patrols an area in Sudzha in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Reuters on Saturday reported on growing uncertainty and debate in Ukraine following its military withdrawal from Russia's Kursk region — a bold cross-border incursion that, while initially successful, has come at a heavy cost for some Ukrainian families and soldiers.

Mariia Pankova last messaged her close friend, Pavlo Humeniuk, a 24-year-old combat engineer in Ukraine's 47th Magura brigade, in December. Days later, she learned from another soldier that Pavlo had gone missing near the village of Novoivanivka in Kursk on December 6. Since then, there has been no information about his fate.

Pankova, 25, continues to search online for any news. "I'm just not sure it was worth it," she said through tears, remembering how she and Pavlo bonded over their love of hiking. "We're not invaders. We just need our territories back, we do not need the Russian one."

Ukraine's military General Staff stated that the offensive into Kursk aimed to increase pressure on Moscow, prevent cross-border attacks, and divert Russian forces from other fronts. The operation, they claimed, "achieved most of its goals."

The Kursk gamble

The surprise assault in August 2024 marked the largest incursion into Russian territory since World War II. Ukrainian forces captured over 1,300 square kilometers of land, advancing largely unopposed in the early stages. However, as the operation progressed, the offensive force struggled with logistics and troop numbers.

"From the very beginning, logistics was seriously complicated because as we entered the Kursk region, we ensured sufficient depth but we did not ensure sufficient width," said Serhiy Rakhmanin, a Ukrainian lawmaker and member of the parliamentary defense committee.

Russian reinforcements, including elite units and top drone operators, later turned the tide. Ukrainian military bloggers reported that Moscow had deployed additional forces, supported by troops from the DPRK. "They not only increased the number of their group opposing our military, but they also improved its quality," Rakhmanin added. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not acknowledged the involvement of DPRK forces.

Related News

Ukraine forces in Kursk isolated, destroyed: Russian chief of staff

Russian MoD reports heavy Ukrainian losses in Kursk offensive

Read more: EU to offer voluntary military aid to Ukraine, keep pressuring Russia

Ukraine confirmed on March 16 that it had retreated from the city of Sudzha, prompting questions about the strategic value of the operation. Some Ukrainian troops and observers have begun to express doubts.

"We should not have started this operation at all," said Oleksii Deshevyi, a 32-year-old soldier who lost his hand in Kursk, speaking from a rehabilitation center in Kiev.

President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the military's difficult position in Kursk but denied claims by both Putin and US President Donald Trump that Ukrainian forces were encircled. US intelligence assessments also confirm that Kiev's troops are not surrounded. 

Ukrainian analysts now say Russia may be preparing a larger offensive in the neighboring Sumy region, following new Russian incursions confirmed by Valery Gerasimov, Russia's chief of General Staff. He reported significant Ukrainian losses in Kursk.

Costly gains

Ukraine's General Staff maintained that the operation's goals extended beyond holding territory, including "control over the territory of the Russian Federation, exhaustion of the enemy, destruction of its personnel and pulling back its reserves."

They claim nearly 1,000 Russian soldiers have been captured, some later exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners. The offensive, they added, forced Moscow to form three new military groupings, totaling around 90,000 troops and 12,000 DPRK servicemen — though Reuters could not independently verify these numbers.

Read more: Russia’s ‘Operation Flow’ used pipeline to infiltrate Ukrainian lines

Military analyst and former chief of Ukraine's General Staff, Viktor Muzhenko, had warned early on against such high-risk moves, writing in August 2024 that Ukraine should "focus on defending its key territories, avoiding unpredictable risky operations that could divert attention from main threats, and choose forms and methods of using troops that are adequate to their capabilities."

Others argue the operation dealt a blow to Russian forces and showed Ukraine's offensive capability. On March 12, Commander-in-Chief Oleksander Syrskyi said the assault had diverted and eliminated some of Russia's top troops. Rakhmanin noted it gave Ukrainians a needed morale boost after territorial setbacks in 2024.

As discussions of a negotiated end to the war gain momentum, Pankova remains wary of any agreement that might compromise Ukraine's hard-fought ground. "Every time that someone tries to, let's say, sell some piece of Ukraine, they just have not to forget what we already gave. How many lives our people gave for that," she said, adding that she is considering joining the armed forces herself.

  • Kursk incursion
  • Russia
  • Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Kursk
  • Ukraine
  • Vladimir Putin
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Flags of Iran, Russia, and China (IRNA)
Politics

Russia, China, Iran send joint letter to IAEA on Resolution 2231 end

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries
Politics

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries

Tents are seen at UN school used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Politics

UN warns of 'lost generation' amid Gaza education crisis

x
Politics

White House pushes to repeal US sanctions on Syria: Report

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS