Ukraine's Kursk offensive was considered a significant triumph, yet it carried a substantial price tag.
I glance down and notice fragments of it on my leg. I'm uncertain of the situation, so I apply a tourniquet and attempt to leave the area, as Vasyl, also known as Bumblebee, detailed to CNN in Sumy, the northern Ukrainian city where he's recovering from his injuries.
Ukraine sprang a surprise attack on Russia's Kursk region recently, taking Moscow off guard and gaining ground approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border. However, the pace of the campaign declined, and on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia had initiated "counteroffensive actions."
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian troops had infiltrated the Kursk region, capturing ten settlements.
Prior to the counter-assault, CNN conversed with fourteen Ukrainian soldiers from five distinct units that were deployed to Kursk during the incursion. Four were wounded in the operation and are recuperating in Ukrainian hospitals, whereas the remaining ten are still active in Russia. They included infantrymen, members of a drone unit, armored vehicle drivers, and sappers, or frontline combat engineers.
The majority wished to remain anonymous or be identified only by their first name and callsign due to the sensitive nature of the discussion and security concerns.
All fourteen reported that the Kursk counteroffensive was a challenging operation, with casualty rates akin to other parts of the frontlines. They expressed concerns about the operation's difficulty five weeks in and questioned its timing, as Ukraine was battling to defend crucial towns and cities in the eastern part of the country.
"It will only get more difficult. There will be more artillery fire, more soldiers, and there will be substantial and complicated battles, but we must do everything we can to improve our position – Ukraine desires peace, but peace when we emerge victorious, not when we're defeated," Vasyl stated.
"Russia is sending numerous troops and artillery (to Kursk). We have suffered losses and experienced a significant amount of damaged equipment," he added.
Ukrainian officials claimed that Moscow had mobilized approximately 30,000 troops into the Kursk region. Two officers with knowledge of the situation reported that these reinforcements included soldiers from the now-dissolved Wagner Private Military Company, which the officers believed had been redeployed from West Africa.
The Wagner mercenaries were supposed to be formally integrated into the Russian military following the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin last year. However, the Ukrainian soldiers operating in Kursk reported that Wagner fighters could be distinguished from the rest of the Russian troops due to their superior equipment and advanced training.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also claimed shortly after the beginning of the incursion that the Chechen special forces unit Akhmat was present in the region.
Dmytro, Vasyl’s commander who oversees the Ukrainian Nightingale battalion, informed CNN that his unit had also discovered Wagner flags and insignia in the area – something other soldiers also confirmed.
While Russia has regained control of certain small settlements in recent days, Ukraine maintains control over the majority of the territory it seized during the initial days of the incursion, according to an evaluation by the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitoring organization.
“Tactical success”
The Kursk operation has given the Ukrainians a significant morale boost, representing Kyiv's first substantial strategic gain since the liberation of Kherson in November 2022.
The vast majority of the soldiers CNN spoke with stated that teaching Russia a lesson was worth the hardship.
"It was a satisfying feeling. Russia is one of the largest countries by territory, population, and military size. And they have nuclear weapons. We have a small number of people and have been at war for ten years, since Russia attacked us and occupied some parts of (the) Luhansk and Donetsk regions," Vasyl explained, referring to Moscow's support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014, when Crimea was also illegally annexed by the Kremlin.
"And now we see that, even after all this time, we can attack (Russia's) territory and inform the world, 'Don't be afraid. Be brave. Be strong and intelligent.'"
Dmytro, whose callsign is Kholod – or Cold in Ukrainian – provided a straightforward assessment: "F**k yes! That’s the feeling when I saw our tanks firing at the Russian positions. They raised their hands, and we took a lot of prisoners."
In an exclusive interview with CNN last week, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi provided what was the most detailed explanation yet of the reasoning behind the incursion. He asserted that the aim was to prevent Russia from utilizing Kursk as a launchpad for a new assault, to divert Moscow's forces from other areas, to establish a "security zone" and prevent cross-border shelling of civilians, to capture prisoners of war, and – indeed – to lift the morale of Ukraine's troops and the nation as a whole.
Zelensky, meanwhile, stated that another purpose of the operation was to demonstrate to Kyiv's Western allies that with adequate support, its military can fight back and eventually emerge victorious in the war.
Ukraine has been under intense pressure on its eastern front for much of the year and is still working to recover from the substantial setbacks caused by delays in the delivery of US military assistance during the winter and spring.
The unexpected Kursk operation, even catching some of Ukraine's closest allies off-guard, received praise from Western officials. On Saturday, CIA chief David Petraeus declared it "a substantial strategic victory." He stated, speaking in London, "It has not only lifted Ukrainian spirits. It has unveiled some weaknesses in Putin's Russia and its military."
A substantial success was eagerly awaited and celebrated within Ukraine. However, soldiers engaged in the operation shared with CNN that it was a challenging task.
One soldier, codename "Finn," shared that Russia's fortifications were well-constructed, blending various defensive measures. For instance, mines were placed beneath anti-tank barriers called "dragon's teeth."
Finn's entire team – four veterans with extensive experience – were completely drained, he disclosed. They were among the initial units to penetrate Russia, tasked with clearing mines and dismantling defenses prior to the arrival of Ukrainian infantry and artillery units. They spent two weeks in Kursk, working around the clock, getting occasional hours of sleep, and always remaining vigilant.
Several casualties were reported, they revealed. One soldier pointed to his boots and stated, "There's a lot of DNA samples that could be collected from these." "Unfortunately, Ukrainian DNA," he said.
Finn emphasized that operating in foreign territory, in an unfamiliar area, enhanced the mission's complexity. Most of the units participating in the Kursk operation were transferred from other frontline positions, where they had gained considerable familiarity over the past two and a half years.
One crew member of an armored personnel carrier (APC) taking Ukrainian infantry troops through the Kursk region detailed to CNN that his unit was transferred from Chasiv Yar on the eastern frontline. "I could drive blindfolded from one position to another" there, he said.
However, in Kursk, he and his crew got lost. "We ended up heading to (the Russian town of) Sudzha, where we had to wait for our commander to locate us," he explained, adding that poor visibility and their lack of knowledge of the terrain made navigation extremely difficult. Several units reported navigation and communication between units and commanders as a significant issue in Kursk.
With GPS and mobile signals disrupted, the Ukrainians have relied on the Starlink internet service. However, they have discovered that the service is ineffective in certain parts of the Kursk region.
The APC crew member admitted that these communication interruptions prevented them from contacting their commander for lengthy periods.
The area has been affected by drought for several months and the ground is now extremely dry, making it even more challenging to navigate heavy vehicles that stir up dust. The APC crew member and his commander spoke with CNN in northern Ukraine, where they were recovering from injuries they claimed were sustained when two Ukrainian armored vehicles collided due to poor visibility and lack of navigation signals.
If the frontline remains largely unaltered, the Kursk battle could soon resemble sections of the eastern frontline, with both sides digging in and fighting tenaciously for every square inch of land.
One sapper shared that his unit's mission in Kursk had undergone a significant shift recently. He spoke with CNN in a small Ukrainian village on the border after returning from a particularly arduous mission.
"If it was easy, you'd see medical evacuation vehicles constantly on the move," one soldier informed CNN while resting on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Just a few weeks prior, he and his team were eliminating Russian fortifications and clearing minefields so that Ukrainian infantry could advance deeper into Russia. Now, he said, their role had reversed; they were now laying mines and preparing defenses with the aim of halting Russian troops from advancing further.
Master your Fear
Like all the soldiers CNN interviewed, Vasyl and his commander, Kholod, had no idea they would find themselves in Russia when they were redirected to the Sumy region from Pokrovsk on the east.
"We all thought the Russians would come here because we didn't have much time. There was a meeting, and my commander told me we needed to be in Sumy within three days," Kholod said.
"And then, on the day everything started, I was attending a meeting with other commanders, and they showed me the map and explained their strategy, where they would drive, what they would ambush, and I realized we would be heading to Russia," Kholod recounted.
Speaking with CNN, Vasyl stated that he didn't give the mission or his injuries much thought, instead choosing to focus on the present.
"This is war. We are soldiers, and we must do all we can to protect our country. This is a piece of a larger plan, and I haven't asked myself why I'm here," Vasyl said.
Sitting on a bench in Sumy, with his bandaged leg extended and an IV needle near his elbow, Vasyl stated that the frontline was teeming with explosive Russian drones on the day he was wounded. "Guys from another unit passed by and I warned them to be cautious because it was like a drone slaughterhouse over there... and just then, boom," he said, using some choice words.
His comrades told him he was fortunate to have survived. Kholod, who was one of the first to reach him after the explosion, praised Vasyl's calm demeanor following the attack.
Vasyl explained that remained calm was simply his nature. "The most important thing when you are extremely afraid is to maintain control. If you can control your fear, everything will be fine," he said.
The medical professionals advised him that it was too perilous to extricate several fragments of debris.
"The doc mentioned that these parts will remain within me, they're too complex to remove, and it's probably for the best if they stay," Vasyl explained to CNN, displaying an unphased demeanor regarding the notion of continuing his life with embedded Russian munitions remnants.
"So what?" he further stated. "I won't transform into a Russian due to these parts. It doesn't function that way, like in vampire lore!"
The unexpected Kursk operation, conducted by Ukraine, aimed to prevent Russia from utilizing Kursk as a launchpad for a new assault and to divert Moscow's forces from other areas. (from the text)
Despite the morale boost and strategic gain, the Kursk operation was a challenging task for the Ukrainian troops, with well-constructed Russian fortifications and communication issues. (following from the text)
