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
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes
Israeli media outlet: Security incident reported in the Gaza Strip
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: No new date or venue has been set for the meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff, and no negotiations will take place until the outcome is guaranteed
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation

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

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

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