Ukraine’s bridgehead in Kursk hard to maintain, military expert says

He discussed this on Espreso TV.

"Currently, both sides are engaged in active operations in the Kursk region. For over six months, Ukrainian troops have held a position on Russian territory, though its area has now shrunk. The enemy has reinforced its troops to push out the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A few days ago, Russian troops forced our units out of Sverdlikovo, a settlement near the highway supplying our troops from Sumy to Sudzha. Meanwhile, the occupiers advanced into Novenke in the Sumy region but were later expelled," Zgurets explained.

According to him, the issue is that near Sverdlikovo and Novenke, Russia is aggressively using drones to cut off logistics supporting Ukrainian troops in the Kursk direction. Russian forces are frequently attacking the Sumy-Sudzha highway with fiber-optic drones, posing a serious challenge that requires a response from Ukraine’s military leadership.

"Our aviation is actively engaged in countermeasures, striking identified enemy drone launch sites, and electronic warfare systems are also in use. However, maintaining our bridgehead — 45 km long and about 20 km wide — is increasingly difficult. The western flank, 20 km away, allows the enemy to exert pressure on our units, making defense extremely challenging. The political importance of holding this bridgehead is undeniable, but military and strategic risks must be considered. If logistics deteriorate further, we must reassess the necessity of maintaining our presence in the Kursk region. Sometimes, political considerations outweigh military pragmatism," Zgurets noted.

He concluded that while Ukrainian forces are tying down 60,000 Russian troops in Kursk, preventing them from being deployed elsewhere, the cost of maintaining this position must be carefully weighed. Ukraine must avoid another Krynky, where soldiers displayed exceptional bravery under extremely difficult conditions. If a better defensive configuration can be achieved while still holding back enemy troops, military considerations should take precedence over political expectations.

• The OSINT project DeepState reported that on March 2, Russian forces advanced in the Kursk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions.
• Ukraine’s General Staff reported that on March 2 alone, 109 combat clashes occurred across the front. In the Kursk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled 30 attacks. Russia launched 444 artillery attacks, including 12 from multiple rocket launchers, and conducted 19 airstrikes, dropping 30 guided bombs.