Putin’s troops say they’re close to retaking Kursk from Ukrainian forces – here’s why it matters
Ukrainian forces are rapidly losing ground in the Kursk region amid a major Russian offensive to recapture land which Kyiv hoped could be a crucial bargaining chip in peace negotiations.
In an attempt to divert Russian forces from the brutal frontlines in eastern Ukraine – and embarrass Vladimir Putin – Ukraine smashed across the border into the Kursk region in August, the biggest attack on Russian territory since the Nazi invasion of 1941.
Putin visited the western region for the first time since its seizure on Wednesday, in a sign of the confidence Moscow has that they will retake complete control of the region.
Moscow claims that recent advances from its forces have left Ukrainian troops with less 200 square km (77 square miles) in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km (500 square miles) at the peak of the incursion.
Ukraine’s top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv’s troops would keep operating in Kursk as long as needed.
The Independent details how and why Ukraine seized Kursk, and what will happen if Russia retakes the entire territory.
In early August 2024, reports emerged that a few hundred Ukrainian troops had staged an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Within days, the Ukrainian operation went far beyond anyone’s expectations, was far bigger than anyone had expected, extending to a pocket of territory which Kyiv said measured 1,376 sq km (530 sq miles) at its peak and included about 100 towns and villages.
One of those towns was Sudzha, the largest town captured by Ukraine in the offensive. Commander Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv’s troops are still fighting in and around the town, despite the Kremlin claiming that Russian forces have retaken control.
Seizing much of Kursk had a number of strategic benefits for Ukraine.
Although a tiny fraction of the area which Russia has captured from Ukraine since 2014, the attack on Kursk gave Ukraine its largest gains against Russian forces for two years – when its forces retook swathes of territory in Ukraine in a summer 2022 offensive.
It also proved a major morale boost for Ukrainian troops, wearied by years of battling Russia’s invasion. The operation had stunned Russia and proved Kyiv could still seize the initiative in what was becoming a gruelling war of attrition.
Kyiv also hoped it would slow Russia’s advances in its eastern regions, forcing Moscow to redirect troops to defend its own territory.
Perhaps most crucially, President Volodymyr Zelensky had hoped the pocket of land could be used as a bargaining chip for peace negotiations, saying as recently as last month that the territory could be traded for Ukrainian territory under Russian control.
