Russia unable to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk region by late 2024 - military expert

He said this on Espreso TV.

"The situation in the Kursk region remains difficult. However, I want to say some very unpleasant things, but holding part of the territory of the Kursk region is a higher priority than holding the territories of the Kurakhove bridgehead and even the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Because it is the retention of the territory of the Kursk region that shows Russia's weakness, regardless of the geopolitical arena. It is thanks to these events at the BRICS summit that the Russians failed to form an alternative to Ramstein," Zhmailo said.

The expert noted that despite the fact that the Russians were able to regain control of part of the Kursk region, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold significant territories.

"Yes, we did lose some of the controlled territories in the Kursk region. However, this was a few weeks ago. Now the Defense Forces control an area of over 600-700 square kilometers. Accordingly, our troops managed to prepare favorable defensive lines. The enemy continues to put pressure. The core of their offensive forces are airborne troops and marine units. The Russians are using the tactics of meat assaults, which almost never stop. They are also trying to break into our defense with the help of mechanized assaults," he emphasized.

Dmytro Zhmailo said that after regaining control over the territory of the Kursk region, the Russian leadership plans to create a foothold for combat operations in the Sumy region. To do this, they plan to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the Kursk region by January 20.

"The Defense Forces have done fairly large-scale work on minefields in the Kursk region. That's why Russian equipment trying to attack Ukrainian positions is hitting mines. In fact, Ukrainian units are also actively mining the area with anti-personnel mines. Some of our best units are fighting in the Kursk region, using Western equipment. It is worth adding that the North Korean component of the Russians' fighting has not been fully operational. However, I believe that Russian troops will not be able to dislodge the units of the Defense Forces from the territory of the Kursk region by the end of the year. In fact, this is why their deadlines have been shifted, which indicates that they want to knock us out by January 20. And by February 25, they plan to create a similar bridgehead in the Sumy region," the expert said.

• As a result of the Storm Shadow attack on November 20, Russian Lieutenant General Valery Solodchuk and 18 more soldiers could have been killed. Officers from the DPRK could also have been killed.
• On November 23, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had ordered the Russian army to push the Defense Forces out of the Kursk region by January 20, 2025. On that day, President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated in the United States.