Forbes: Ukraine seizes opportunity, surprise attack in Kursk causes damage to Russia

(Dan Tri) - The Ukrainian army launched a surprise attack on the Kursk front on February 6 and quickly advanced about 5km, running along several main axes in the area surrounding the town of Sudzha.

Ukrainian soldiers in Sumy, opposite Russia's Kursk region (Photo: Reuters).

According to Forbes , in August 2024, the Ukrainian army mobilized a powerful force of about 20,000 soldiers to attack Kursk, a territory located in western Russia.

The aim of the operation is to draw Russian troops away from the front line in eastern Ukraine and gain control of part of Russian territory as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with Moscow.

Three months later, Russian troops, combined with soldiers believed to be from North Korea, totaling about 60,000 men, launched a counterattack that pushed back Ukrainian forces.

However, according to Western media, after many days of counterattacking with the same tactics, the Russian-North Korean coalition lost one-third of its forces but still could not completely drive the Ukrainian army out of the Kursk region.

According to the Center for Defense Strategy of Ukraine (CDS), due to fatigue, the Russian-North Korean joint forces decided to temporarily suspend tactics to need more time to adjust their formation and add new manpower and equipment.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Ukrainian Siversk Tactical Operations Group launched a surprise attack in Kursk on February 6 and quickly advanced about 5km along several main axes in the area surrounding the town of Sudzha.

The CDS said that the Ukrainian Siversk Group advanced southwest of Makhnovka, north and east of Cherkassya Konopelka along the Sudzha - Oboyan highway.

Ukraine is said to have captured new villages in Russia's Kursk province (Photo: ISW).

Ukrainian forces have taken control of at least two settlements: Kolmakov and Fanaseevka. Meanwhile, fighting is continuing in Cherkassya Konopelka and, if this information is correct, Russian forces there have been overwhelmed by the Ukrainian Siversk Tactical Operational Group.

That meant they were cut off from the main Russian force deployed further east, including the 810th Marine Brigade.

Reflecting on the battle situation, Russian media reported that Ukraine launched four consecutive attacks. Data feeds from Russian drones described several long columns of mine-resistant armored vehicles and other Ukrainian vehicles running far apart on the Sudzha-Oboyan highway.

Russia countered with first-person view (FPV) drone strikes on Ukrainian forces, but some missed their targets, possibly due to Ukrainian jamming, Russian inexperience, or both.

Dramatic developments on the battlefield continue but war map analysts say Ukraine is gaining the advantage in Kursk as the area of ​​territory it controls appears to be expanding.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/forbes-ukraine-chop-thoi-co-tap-kich-bat-ngo-o-kursk-khien-nga-thiet-hai-20250208111025640.htm