Kursk operation forces Russia on defensive, strengthening Ukraine’s position — military expert

Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko discussed the issue on his Telegram channel.

According to Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russian forces have suffered 54,900 casualties since the start of Ukraine’s operation in the Kursk region, with 22,200 classified as irrecoverable losses.

When the operation began on August 6, 2024, Russia had just over 10,000 troops stationed in Kursk. Today, that number has swelled to 60,000, indicating that Moscow was forced to reinforce the region with an additional 50,000 troops to counter Ukraine’s actions.

These reinforcements, combined with ongoing losses, mean that an estimated 115,000 Russian personnel have been tied up in the Kursk sector over several months—soldiers who could have otherwise been deployed to key battlegrounds such as Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar, or the Lyman-Kupyansk axis.

Kovalenko suggests that without the Kursk operation, Ukraine would now be facing intense urban combat in cities like Kostiantynivka, instead of conducting successful counterattacks in Toretsk or holding defensive lines in Chasiv Yar. The operation, which remains ongoing, continues to drain Russian manpower and influence the broader battlefield dynamics.

• Earlier, military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko analyzed whether the Kursk operation is nearing its end or transitioning into a new phase.