Şevval Tufan
Ukrainian soldiers who have recently pulled back from Russia’s Kursk region have characterized the retreat as a “disaster,” encountering constant Russian drone strikes and superior enemy forces. The BBC has collected direct testimonies from Ukrainian troops, who reported significant casualties, destroyed military assets, and logistical shortcomings that resulted in their pullout.
Drone Attacks and Heavy Firepower
Soldiers who communicated via social media, using aliases for protection, spoke of the intense pressure faced in Sudzha, the largest town Ukraine held in Kursk. One soldier, identified as “Volodymyr,” described the battle as “a horror movie,” stating that by March 9, Ukrainian convoys attempting to retreat were being destroyed by Russian drones. The main supply route from Sudzha to Ukraine’s Sumy region, once considered relatively safe, had become a death trap under constant Russian surveillance and fire.
“We saw two to three drones every minute. That’s a lot,” Volodymyr recounted. “Everyone knew the Russians would try to cut off this highway, but it still caught our command by surprise.”
Mounting Casualties and Equipment Losses
By March 11, Ukrainian forces were desperately fighting to keep the road open. Another soldier, “Maksym,” said Ukrainian troops received an order for an “organized retreat,” but the situation quickly deteriorated.
“Russia had amassed a large force, including North Korean troops, and deployed its best drone units,” Maksym explained. “Dozens of Ukrainian vehicles were destroyed, creating bottlenecks on supply routes.”
According to military analysts, Russia mobilized approximately 70,000 troops to reclaim Kursk, including an estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers. The Kremlin also deployed advanced kamikaze drones and fiber-optic-controlled models, which proved immune to electronic countermeasures.
‘A Catastrophe of a Retreat’
Another soldier, “Anton,” described March 11 as “catastrophic.” Serving at a command post on the Kursk front, he observed that Russia had gained a decisive advantage in both manpower and air power.
“We used to have the upper hand with drones, but not anymore,” Anton admitted. “The enemy cut off our supply lines. Organized deliveries of weapons, ammunition, and food are no longer possible.”
Anton, who managed to escape on foot under the cover of night, described the relentless presence of Russian drones. “They were in the sky all the time. We almost died multiple times.”
By March 13, Russia declared that it had “fully secured Kursk,” releasing footage of captured or destroyed Ukrainian equipment. Western analysts estimated that Ukraine had committed 12,000 elite troops to the operation, many equipped with Western-supplied tanks and armored vehicles.
Scenes of Destruction
A fourth soldier, “Dmytro,” compared the retreat to “a scene from a horror movie.” Writing on social media on March 11-12, he described roads littered with “hundreds of destroyed vehicles and bodies.”
Dmytro recounted how his own escape nearly ended in disaster. When his car got stuck, he and his comrades attempted to push it free, only to be targeted by an FPV drone. The attack injured a fellow soldier, forcing them to take cover in a forest for two hours before being rescued.
“Many of us had to retreat on foot, walking 15 to 20 kilometers,” Dmytro said. “Everything in Kursk is finished… the operation was not successful.”
He estimated that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers had perished since the initial push into Russia last August.
‘We Fought Like Lions’
Despite the grim reports, “Artem,” a soldier recovering from shrapnel wounds in a military hospital, remained defiant. Writing on March 13, he said Ukrainian forces near Loknya had put up a fierce resistance.
“We fought like lions,” he declared. “We created a buffer zone that has stopped the Russians from advancing into Sumy.”
What’s Next for Ukraine’s Offensive?
Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi, has stated that Ukrainian forces have pulled back to “more favorable positions” and remain in Kursk for as long as necessary. He claimed that Russia had suffered over 50,000 casualties, including killed, wounded, or captured soldiers.
However, Ukraine’s territorial gains from last August have largely been reversed. Analysts estimate that two-thirds of the 1,000 square kilometers initially seized have been lost.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that the Kursk operation “accomplished its task” by forcing Russia to redeploy troops from eastern Ukraine. Yet, the scale of Ukraine’s losses raises questions about the long-term impact of the campaign.
For now, Ukraine’s retreat marks a significant shift in the war’s dynamic, as Russia reasserts control over Kursk, while Ukrainian forces prepare for the next phase of the conflict.
Image: BBC News
