The Ukrainian operation in Kursk is reaching its final stages. Early Wednesday morning, Kiev's troops withdrew from their positions in the city of Sudzha, the largest in the area, gradually reaching the border region of Sumy. Despite fierce fighting in recent days, the withdrawal was carried out gradually and without significant casualties, although the region's roads are now filled with armored vehicles and vehicles of all kinds from both sides, destroyed by clashes between the two armies.
After eight months of Ukrainian presence on Russian territory, it is currently unknown whether they intend to stay in a small fraction of land or if the withdrawal is total. The Kursk operation, which began by surprise and led to the capture of hundreds of Russian prisoners in its early moments, has sent a strong political message to demonstrate Russian vulnerability, as their territory had not been partially conquered since World War II.
A video of Russian troops in the center of Sudzha reveals that the Z troops reached those positions without a fight, as they were already empty. The withdrawal is motivated, from a military standpoint, by the worsening Ukrainian logistics. The Russians had the Ukrainian defensive positions within artillery and drone range for supply routes. Additionally, with negotiations starting yesterday in Saudi Arabia, several analysts suggest that the Ukrainians realized that the Kursk card as a bargaining chip might not be as useful as they had imagined.
At this point, Zelenski did seek a ceasefire like the one reached yesterday with the White House, knowing that the Russians would never agree to it with the Ukrainians on their own territory. The US has mainly emphasized the joint mineral exploitation agreement as a bargaining tool, not any agreement to exchange Kursk with the Russians. Now Moscow has no excuse to reject the ceasefire.
So far, the Kremlin has not responded. "We assume that, as stated yesterday in Jeddah, Secretary of State Rubio and National Security Advisor (Mike) Waltz will inform us through various channels about the details of the negotiations and what was agreed upon," said Dmitry Peskov, presidential spokesperson. The US Secretary of State, who hopes to contact Moscow today, also stated: "We all look forward to the Russian response and strongly urge them to consider ending all hostilities." "If they say no," he warned, "we will obviously have to analyze everything and somehow determine our position in the world and what their true intentions are. I believe that if they say no, it will tell us a lot about their goals and mindset."
In any case, the Kursk operation, as a temporary mission, has ended for the Ukrainians having achieved many of their objectives: their losses were moderate compared to the Russian losses, sometimes with ratios of one to four dead. By withdrawing in an orderly and timely manner, Ukraine avoids the mistakes of Avdiivka, Bakhmut, and other battles, where they were criticized for withdrawing too late and under enemy fire.
Many residents of the Sumy region recently expressed their fears to this reporter that Russia, after completing the operation to take over the entire territory, might decide to enter Sumy. This option is possible but not straightforward, as natural obstacles separating both countries (a river during the flood season) are combined with fortifications that the Ukrainians have been building for months, including multiple layers of dragon's teeth and landmines.
In this battle, the Russians have committed 50,000 soldiers from their best paratrooper units with their top armored vehicles. This prevented Russia from focusing on their offensive in the Donetsk region, which has been dwindling in strength in recent months until coming to a complete halt. The Koreans, with their absurd kamikaze attacks, have lost at least half of their contingent.