Today at 12:55
Active hostilities continue in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. According to British intelligence, Russian troops are exerting increasing pressure on Ukrainian forces from the west, north, and east. Ukrainian troops are likely maintaining control over an area of about 300 square kilometers.
The Russian army is pressing the Ukrainian defensive line south of the city of Sudzha. According to several monitoring projects, the Russians managed to regain control over the settlements of Martynovka and Mala Loknya.
Additionally, the enemy does not abandon attempts to take control of the logistical routes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This concerns the key logistical hub of the Ukrainian grouping in the Kursk region — Sumy-Yunakivka-Sudzha.
To resolve this issue, the Russian military command decided to redeploy the most trained UAV operators from the combat contact line in Ukraine to the Kursk region. This is precisely why there has been some decrease in the activity of Russian UAVs in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions in Donetsk region.
Currently, the most trained UAV operators are in the Kursk region, as well as the most prepared units of the Russian army — special forces divisions of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), special forces brigades of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), marine brigades, and airborne divisions. In total, the number of Russian occupying forces in the Kursk direction currently amounts to about 60-65 thousand military personnel.
It is worth noting that the activation of hostilities in the Kursk region by the Russian army is linked to international trends, in particular, the possibility of so-called “peace negotiations.” Russia understands that the presence of Ukrainian Defense Forces increases Ukraine’s subjectivity in the negotiation process.
Even before Donald Trump’s inauguration, The Wall Street Journal, citing three people close to Trump, reported that Trump’s plan included freezing the front line and creating an 800-mile (almost 1,300 km) demilitarized zone.
At that time, this statement did not cause significant resonance, but it is worth noting that the combat contact line was 1,200 km, and the additional 100 km included the area controlled by Ukraine’s Defense Forces in the Kursk region. That is, Trump was actually creating a diplomatic trap for Russia.
At that time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview with Le Parisien, emphasized that Ukraine does not want to surrender or freeze the war.
“No matter how many presidents or prime ministers would like to announce the end of the war, we are not going to simply surrender and abandon our independence. The danger was in saying: ‘We will freeze the war and agree with the Russians,’” the president stated.
The head of state explained that Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace, not a truce that Putin could use for renewed military aggression.
After the start of the Ukrainian forces’ counteroffensive in Kursk in January of this year, the American side emphasized that such a situation strengthens Ukraine’s position in negotiations. Then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the position of Ukrainian forces in Kursk would play a role in potential negotiations to end the war.
“Their position in Kursk is important because, undoubtedly, this will be taken into account in any negotiations that may take place next year,” he stressed during a press conference with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul.
In turn, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the presence of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region is an important leverage against Russia both militarily and diplomatically.
During the press conference “Ukraine. Year 2025,” the president noted that in the future, when Ukraine considers the issue of territorial integrity, the Kursk region could become an object of exchange.
“In any case, the Kursk region may become an important element of territorial exchange for us when we achieve our goal regarding territorial integrity,” he said.
It is worth recalling that even before Trump’s inauguration, Bloomberg reported that Russia was considering the possibility of a territorial exchange, in particular, the Kursk region, for part of the occupied territories of Ukraine, most likely the Kharkiv region. At that time, Russian troops intensified hostilities in the Kharkiv direction, particularly the offensive in the areas of Vovchansk and Kupiansk.
Regarding the significance of the operation in the Kursk region:
- Ukrainian forces have taken control of up to 1,300 square kilometers of territory (Russians claim 900 km²);
- Russia was forced to redeploy combat-capable units to the Kursk region (including marine brigades, airborne troops, GRU special forces, and Rosgvardia), totaling up to 60,000 personnel;
- According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian losses in the Kursk region amounted to up to 48,000 personnel. The Russian army lost a significant number of trained military personnel, which negatively affected its combat capability;
- Russia was forced to create defensive lines in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions, spending more than $500 million on this;
- The war was transferred to Russian territory, undermining the prestige of the Russian authorities both domestically and internationally.
Currently, it is important to stabilize the situation in the Kursk region, and Ukraine’s Defense Forces have every chance to do so. However, there are doubts regarding a ceasefire and further “lull,” as Russia is unlikely to agree to this, especially on land.
Overall, the situation in the Kursk region remains difficult. Ukrainian forces are holding their positions and responding to challenges accordingly. Despite Russian disinformation about the threat of encirclement, the Ukrainian command acts prudently and responsibly.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that heavy fighting continues in the Kursk region, the situation remains difficult, but it is under the control of the Ukrainian command.
According to Ukrainian command, the largest-scale assault actions by the enemy took place in the directions from the settlement of Korenevo to Sudzha, as well as in the directions of Novoivanivka, Mala Loknya, and south of Sudzha. The enemy involved its most combat-ready units in the assault, including marine infantry (177th Regiment and 810th Brigade), airborne forces, Kadyrovites from the “Akhmat” battalion, and the 1427th Regiment. Also, up to two battalions of North Korean mercenaries were thrown into battle.
“Our command sees the full picture and is taking necessary measures to strengthen the resilience of defense. Reserves of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been engaged to stabilize the situation. Thanks to these decisions, enemy units suffered significant losses,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated.
The 83rd Ussuriysk Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces suffered the heaviest losses in the battles in the Kursk region — about 400 servicemen were killed and wounded out of 480 who arrived in the Kursk region. A similar situation with personnel combat losses occurred in the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces. A single assault on the positions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces led to colossal losses in manpower and equipment for the occupiers, effectively bleeding this brigade dry.
The enormous losses of the Russian army are also evidenced by the fact that Russia has again deployed North Korean soldiers to the Kursk region.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, of the 12,000 North Korean servicemen already redeployed to the Kursk region, about 4,000 have been eliminated. That is, every third one, which is undoubtedly colossal losses of personnel for both Russian forces and North Korean military personnel.
The Russians perfectly understand the further scenario. The presence of Ukraine’s Defense Forces in the Kursk region is the very trump card whose absence Trump spoke about. If, before the start of the negotiation process, they manage to push Ukraine’s Defense Forces out of Kursk, Ukraine will have weaker negotiating positions. This is precisely why there is an intensification of hostilities.
At present, the main strategic task of Russian troops is to try to push Ukraine’s Defense Forces out of the Kursk region. This may weaken Ukraine’s position in the negotiation process with the United States.
Reminder: Today, March 11, in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), a meeting of Ukrainian and American delegations will take place regarding the preparation of negotiations for achieving peace.
Military-political analyst Dmytro Sniehyrov.
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