- The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Suja is described as chaotic, full of damaged equipment and many wounded and killed
- Russia has engaged about 70,000 soldiers, including 12,000 from North Korea, and advanced drones, blocking key logistics routes
- Minister of Defence of Ukraine assured that the Ukrainian troops had made a planned decision and the buffer region prevented Russians from entering the Sumic region
- More crucial information can be found on the Onetu homepage
A British public broadcaster described the accounts of 5 Ukrainian soldiers who fought in the Kursk Oblast. Their names have been changed. On 9 March, “Volodymyr” reported to the BBC that he was in Suja, the main city of the circuit controlled by Ukrainian forces. He added that there was “a panic and a sense of decline.” “The Ukrainian army and equipment are trying to get out. They are partially burned on the road by Russian unmanneds. You can’t leave during the day — he reported.
As the BBC wrote, the transport of people and equipment was dependent on 1 major road connecting Suja and the Sumsian circuit in the northeast of Ukraine. According to Volodymyr, it was rather safe to travel this road a period ago, but until March 9, the way “went completely under enemy fire control — drones fly around the clock.” - You can see 2 or 3 drones in a minute. That's a lot, he said.
According to the soldier, all Ukrainian logistics was dependent on the Suja-Suma route. “Everyone knew the Russians would effort to cut her off. But this again became a surprise to our command, said the soldier.
"Maxim" in turn wrote the BBC that by 11 March Ukrainian troops tried to prevent this main road from being cut by Russian forces. "A fewer days ago, we received orders to leave the line of defence in an organized manner," he noted. He added that Russia had engaged large forces to occupy the city, including many North Korean soldiers.
Ukrainian soldiers retreated from the course. “We almost died a fewer times”
According to experts, Russia has gathered around 70,000 soldiers to regain control of the Kursk Oblast, including around 12,000 from North Korea. It besides targeted the best drone operators and various types of unmanned vehicles to "take the main logistics routes under fire control". "The opponent managed to destruct dozens of units of equipment and their remains block supply routes," he said. "Maxim".
On the another hand, ‘Anton’, who served in the office in front of the Kursk section, described the situation prevailing on 11 March as ‘catastrophic’. He pointed out the Russian lead in drones and soldiers' numbers and judged that "logistics no longer works". “Anton” himself left Suja on ft at night. We almost died a fewer times. There are inactive drones in the sky — he reported. According to him, the full Ukrainian cape in the Kursk region will be lost.
Ukrainians on Kursk surgery. “It has not been successful”
Another BBC interviewer named "Dmytro" compared withdrawal from the Kursk circuit with scenes from the horror. “The roads were littered with hundreds of destroyed cars, armored equipment and quads. Many wounded and killed, he said. According to him, many soldiers were retreating on foot. “ They walked 15-20 kilometres, ” he added. In his view, the situation has changed from "difficult and critical to catastrophic". On 14 March he stated that the course operation "was not successful". According to him, since August 2024, erstwhile Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers died in the region.
BBC's 5th interviewer, “Artem”, assessed the situation little pessimistically. In a message written from a military infirmary to which he was sent erstwhile he was wounded, he emphasized that Ukrainian troops west of Suja "fightd like lions". According to him, the operation was partially successful. "It is crucial that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have now created this buffer zone, thanks to which the Russians cannot enter the Sumus circuit," he said.
Ukrainians are withdrawing from the Kurd region. Volodymyr Zelenski took the floor
Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umierov assured that Ukrainian troops were not surrounded in the Kursk region and made a planned shift to more favourable positions. Saturday on the situation of Ukraine's troops in the Kursk region was commented by the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski. He besides assured that they were not surrounded, however, he alerted that the Russian army was gathering forces that attest to the desire to strike the bordering Kursk area.
Friday the president U.S. Donald Trump declared, without giving details that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were "fully surrounded" by Russian troops in the Kursk Oblast. A day earlier Russia's leader Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian forces are in complete isolation in this region.
Ukrainian troops, unexpectedly for Russia, entered the Kursk region on 6 August 2024. It was then explained that 1 of the objectives of this offensive was to force Russia to decision any of the forces from occupied Donbas to the east of Ukraine into this region.
