If Ukraine withdraws from Kursk, Russian troops may advance into Sumy - military expert Zgurets

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

“I am convinced that the Kursk operation was necessary. It solved both political and military tasks. Speaking of political tasks, the operation took place at a time when it was necessary to influence our partners during the presentation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Victory Plan, demonstrating that we are capable of conducting offensive operations,” Zgurets explained.

According to the director of Defense Express, the Kursk operation was well prepared as an offensive operation and began on August 6, resulting in the capture of a significant part of Russian territory. The operation then turned to holding the bridgehead.

“We now have a smaller area of territory, but the issue is not its size, but the strategic importance of the Kursk operation, which is still ongoing. Currently, the Russians have concentrated more than 30,000 troops to push Ukrainian troops out, and they are also bringing in troops from North Korea. We need to continue to hold this foothold, because this mass of Russian forces, if we start to withdraw, there is a real threat that it will roll over to the Sumy region. This is absolutely unacceptable to us,” emphasized Zgurets.

The director of the Defense Express information and consulting company added that it is not easy for the Ukrainian military, but experienced brigades are in the Kursk region, and rotation is taking place.

“I hope that Ukraine's military leadership understands the balance of forces and capabilities in this strategically important area of the frontline and is able to maintain the balance of power in other areas,” Zgurets summarized.

• Rangers' with the 6th Regiment of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces captured a settlement in Russia's Kursk region through offensive actions.
• Military expert Dmytro Sniehyrov says Ukrainian forces have successfully struck the Lgov College in the Kursk region, a key training base for UAV operators and storage site for drones.