Ukraine prioritizes holding Russian land over its own defense – media
Kiev has reportedly chosen to channel military resources to its incursion into Kursk Region in Russia rather than reinforcing its positions in Donetsk People’s Republic, newspaper El Pais reported on Sunday.
According to Ukrainian servicemen fighting in Kursk Region who spoke with the Spanish outlet last month, while they occasionally experience shortages of weapons and equipment, there are no such problems with personnel.
The soldiers reportedly told El Pais that Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk Region rotate every ten days. In comparison, servicemen operating on the front line in Donetsk People’s Republic get replaced on average only every 25 days.
Sunday’s report also noted that Ukraine currently has two of its “best regiments” operating in Kursk Region, namely the 95th and 80th airborne assault brigades, which are outfitted with the best equipment, including German Leopard and American Abrams tanks.
Kiev launched the cross-border incursion into the region in August, deploying some of its best-equipped units. The force was ultimately contained by Russian troops and is currently being beaten back, according to Moscow.
The deployment of these elite regiments to Kursk, however, has been criticized by some military experts. Ukrainian General Dmitry Marchenko has said in an interview that he did not understand the reason for deploying Kiev’s best brigades to Kursk while the country’s defenses were “collapsing.”
“Maybe our leaders have some brilliant secret plan,” the general suggested.
Politico reported in September that former Ukrainian army commander Valery Zaluzhny was also against the Kursk incursion and considered it a mistake while Russian forces were gaining ground in Donetsk.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, Moscow’s forces have been making great strides in Donbass over the past few weeks, taking over a significant number of villages and key settlements such as the heavily fortified mining town of Ugledar. Media estimates also suggest that Russian troops gained more ground in October than in any month this year.
The top commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, General Aleksand Syrsky, also admitted last week that Kiev’s forces were facing “one of the most powerful” Russian offensives since 2022.
Meanwhile, Moscow has claimed that the Ukrainian incursion has come at great cost to Kiev in terms of manpower and weapons, estimating that Kiev has lost nearly 30,000 troops, close to 200 tanks and over 1,000 armored vehicles.
