Ukrainian troops hold Kursk as morale dips ahead of Trump's term
"The situation is getting worse every day," one Ukrainian soldier told the BBC. "We don’t see the goal. Our land is not here." The soldiers, exhausted from defending the Kursk region against the Russian offensive, have been instructed to hold on and wait for Trump.
Nearly four months after Ukrainian forces launched a swift offensive in the Kursk region, SMS messages from soldiers fighting there paint a grim picture of a battle they don't fully understand and fear losing.
Chronic lack of sleep, constant shelling
The BBC contacted several soldiers serving in Kursk via Telegram, one of whom recently left. The BBC emphasizes that it provided anonymity to its sources, and the names used in this material have been changed.
The military personnel discuss harsh weather conditions and chronic sleep deprivation caused by constant shelling from Russia, including terrifying gliding bombs weighing 6,600 pounds. They are also in retreat, with Russian forces gradually regaining territory.
"This trend will continue," wrote Pavlo on November 26th. "It's only a matter of time."
Soldiers in Kursk are under immense pressure, constantly bombarded by the Russians. Pavlo spoke of intense fatigue, lack of rotation, and the arrival of units composed mainly of older men who ended up there directly from other fronts, often without rest.
Complaints from soldiers—about commanders, orders, or lack of equipment—are not unusual. It's something soldiers often do in difficult conditions.
Soldiers don't understand what they're fighting for
However, the messages received are almost uniformly grim, suggesting motivation is an issue. Some question whether one of the original operation objectives—to draw Russian soldiers away from Ukraine's eastern front—has been achieved. Now, they say, the orders are clear: hold this small piece of Russian territory until the new U.S. president takes office with new policies, expected at the end of January, writes the BBC.
"The main task facing us is to hold the maximum territory until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations," Pavlo said. "In order to exchange it for something later. No-one knows what," he added.
At the end of November, President Zelensky indicated that both sides were considering changing the US administration. "I am sure that he [Putin] wants to push us out by 20 January." "It is very important for him to demonstrate that he controls the situation. But he does not control the situation," he said.
To help Ukraine repel Russian counterattacks in Kursk, the U.S., the UK, and France have allowed Kyiv to use long-range weapons against targets in Russia.
This has not lifted the soldiers' morale. "No-one sits in a cold trench and prays for missiles," wrote Pavlo. "We live and fight here and now. And missiles fly somewhere else," he added.
The ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles may have caused significant damage to distant command points and ammunition depots, but these successes seem remote to soldiers on the front line. "We don't talk about missiles," wrote Myroslav. "In the bunkers we talk about family and rotation. About simple things."
Ukraine, struggling with the slow Russian advances in the east, emphasizes the necessity of holding Kursk, according to the BBC.
North Korean soldiers near Kursk. "We haven't seen them"
In November, Russian forces seized 280 square miles of Ukrainian territory, surpassing October's gains of 235 square miles, reported AFP, citing data from the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Kremlin has already reclaimed 40% of the territories occupied by Ukrainians. Despite losses, Vadym believes the campaign in Kursk is still crucial. "Some [Russian] forces from the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions," he wrote.
However, some soldiers feel they are in the wrong place. "Our place should have been there [in eastern Ukraine], not here in someone else’s land," Pavlo believes. "We don’t need these Kursk forests, in which we left so many comrades," he added.
In Kyiv, senior commanders defend the operation in Kursk, claiming it brings military and political benefits. "This situation irritates Putin. He is suffering huge losses," said one of the commanders.
As for how long Ukrainian troops will be able to hold Kursk, the answer was straightforward: As long as it is militarily feasible.
Furthermore, Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers admitted they have not yet encountered North Korean military personnel, whose deployment to the Kursk region was announced in Kyiv. "I haven’t seen or heard anything about Koreans, alive or dead," said one of the Ukrainian soldiers. The soldiers said they were ordered to capture at least one North Korean prisoner, preferably with documents. In reward, they were promised additional leave. "It’s very difficult to find a Korean in the dark Kursk forest," a Ukrainian soldier told BBC News.
