Putin's struggle: 15,000 soldiers needed for Kursk offensive
9:17 AM EDT, August 20, 2024
Putin lacks 15,000 soldiers to retake the Kursk region, writes the Moscow Times, citing the "Wall Street Journal." According to these reports, Russia would need to significantly increase its regional military forces, transferring four times more soldiers than currently stationed, to regain control over this strategic area within two weeks.
According to military estimates from Western sources, about 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers are currently stationed in the Kursk region. Additionally, they are supported by another 4,000 units. By the middle of the previous week, the Russian command had transferred only about 5,000 soldiers to the Kursk region.
This data indicates that the Russian forces in the region are numerically smaller than the Ukrainian forces.
Moreover, the Russian units gathered there do not have experience in joint combat and have not had enough time to prepare for military actions.
Russians try to fill the gaps
Yuriy Fedorov, a military analyst, expressed his opinion on this topic, claiming that the Russian command is trying to fill the gaps in the Kursk group by conscripting soldiers.
This is confirmed by the stories of those taken prisoner during the offensive: in videos published by Ukrainian media, conscripts complain that they were thrown into battle without proper training and weapons, and their commanders fled.
