Russia North forces engage Ukrainian troops in SW Kursk
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Reportedly, Ukrainian forces are attempting to disrupt Russian military logistics and slow the advance by deploying drones and artillery.
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In this photo, taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, a Grad self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher fires toward a Ukrainian position in the Kursk region, Russia (AP)
Russian soldiers from the Sever (North) group of forces have entered the outskirts of Gornal Village in the Kursk Region and initiated clashes with Ukrainian forces entrenched there, a military source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
"This morning, the 22nd Regiment of the 44th Army Corps entered the outskirts of the village of Gornal during military operations. Fighting is ongoing," the source said.
According to the source, Ukrainian forces are attempting to disrupt Russian military logistics and slow the advance by deploying drones and artillery.
"The enemy is on the defensive and trying to hold their positions at any cost. They hide in various shelters in the settlement, using terrain folds," the source noted.
The offensive to divide the nation
Reuters in late March 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.
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 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.
Ukrainians retreating
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.
