Ukraine’s commander-in-chief reveals key reason behind incursion in Russia’s Kursk

Source: Oleksandr Syrskyi

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has opened up on what made Ukraine launch an incursion into the Kursk region. In his statement on Wednesday, he said  Ukrainian intelligence confirmed in May that Russia was planning an offensive from Kursk into Sumy Oblast to set up what they call a “sanitary zone” in northern Ukraine, a move intended to extend Russia’s operations from the Kharkiv front and spread thin the Ukrainian troops.

“This is why we launched a preemptive offensive, shifting the battlefield onto the enemy’s territory in Kursk Oblast,” said Syrskyi .

In nearly three months, Ukrainian forces have inflicted heavy losses on the Russians in the Kursk region, with 20,842 Russian troops affected: 7,905 killed, 12,220 wounded, and 717 taken prisoner. Ukrainian forces also destroyed 1,101 pieces of Russian military equipment, including:

• 54 tanks
• 276 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs)
• 107 artillery pieces and mortars
• 5 multiple rocket launchers
• 659 vehicles

The unexpected maneuver made Russia deploy around 45,000 troops to the Kursk  suburbs and even seek help from  North Korea.

“Russian occupiers aimed to seize more territory in northern Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. However, Ukraine’s Defense Forces took a preventive strike and continue to dismantle the enemy on its own soil,” added Syrskyi .

Over 2,000 Ukrainian servicemembers have received state awards for their heroism during the operation in the Kursk region.