Problems in Kursk Oblast: Drones, logistics, North Koreans
In February, Alex, a serviceman of the 80th Air Assault Brigade, spent 21 days on the frontlines in Kursk Oblast. It was his toughest combat mission yet.
"There were fatalities and wounded. An FPV drone flew into the cellar, and then seven or eight more followed throughout the day. There was gas and bombardments," Alex recounts to hromadske journalists shortly after his return.
Alex's experience reflects the intensifying situation for Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast. In February and March, Russians achieved key successes, pushing Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the town of Sudzha and its surroundings.
However, the situation for the Ukrainian garrison gradually worsened. After the Defense Forces' breakthrough, Russians brought in reserves to the previously unprotected border and achieved their first successes in Kursk Oblast by fall 2024.
"It became very difficult in mid-September when we went on the defensive. The active offensive ended, and the enemy started using equipment and breaking through our defenses, creating blocking lines and entering their settlements," says Pavlo Yazlovetskyi, deputy commander of a battalion in the 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
On February 6, Yazlovetskyi received the Gold Star of the Hero of Ukraine from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for leading 102 soldiers of his brigade out of encirclement. His company was ambushed three times but managed to establish a circular defense and break through. This demonstrates that the war in Kursk Oblast is much more maneuverable than in the east. Similar stories have been reported by other units that were encircled and then broke through, destroying the surrounding Russians.
Pavlo Yazlovetskyi explains that the landscape complicated combat operations in Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian forces encountered marshy terrain, ravines, and dense forests, making it difficult for equipment to move.
Moreover, Russians reinforced their troops with fresh units — soldiers from North Korea.
"The Koreans did not surrender. They are more physically prepared, more enduring, but without fanaticism. Their commanders use them as cannon fodder, sending them in first, and then following up with their own formations because the Koreans can run across fields in large groups," says Kostiantyn, a company commander from the 80th Air Assault Brigade who encountered Koreans on the battlefield.
However, the biggest problem that proved decisive in the battle for Sudzha was drones. Russians concentrated their strongest drone groups in Kursk Oblast and managed to take control of the main logistical routes of Ukrainian forces, leaving no options but to retreat.
"Drones are significantly changing the course of combat operations. The enemy often uses FPV drones, both fiber-optic and conventional. They greatly hinder logistics — the supply of ammunition and movement to the frontlines. Occupying positions can be problematic due to the large number of drones," explains Pavlo Yazlovetskyi.
Now, having pushed Ukrainian forces out of the Sudzha district, Russians can advance deeper into Sumy Oblast, military analysts suggest.
"If such a large number of Russian troops are gathered here, they will not stop and will continue to advance. The next city will be Yunakivka, Sumy. There is not much of a buffer zone to hold them back. They will not stop," Pavlo Yazlovetskyi predicts.
Watch the video about the second and more difficult stage of the Kursk operation.