Kursk incursion thwarted Russia's plans for 'buffer zone' in Sumy Oblast, Syrskyi says
Russian forces have suffered 7,905 soldiers killed, 12,220 injured, and 717 captured during almost three months of the Kursk incursion, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Nov. 6.
Over the same period, Moscow's military also lost 1,101 pieces of equipment, including 54 tanks, 276 armored vehicles, 107 artillery pieces and mortars, and five anti-aircraft weapons, according to the commander.
Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion in early August to prevent Russian cross-border strikes and draw Russian forces away from the embattled Donbas region, where Moscow keeps steadily advancing.
According to Syrskyi, Russia has already concentrated 45,000 troops in Kursk Oblast to counter the ongoing Ukrainian incursion.
Moscow has also deployed thousands of North Korean troops in the embattled region, with some reportedly already clashing with Ukraine in small-scale engagements.
The Kursk incursion was also intended to preempt a Russian plan to invade Sumy Oblast to create a "buffer zone" in northern Ukraine, Syrskyi said, citing intelligence reports from May.
Russia has been mounting pressure against the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast while also advancing in Ukraine's east at a pace unseen in 2024, steadily pushing back Ukrainian defenders.
Francis Farrell
