Six months of Kursk operation: Ukrainian military reports major losses for Russian forces
Six months into the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has reported significant Russian losses of nearly 40,000 killed and wounded on this front.
The operation, which began on August 6, 2024, has seen Ukrainian forces maintain control over hundreds of square kilometers of a "buffer zone" within Russian territory.
The primary objective of the Kursk offensive was to prevent a new Russian advance into Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. According to the General Staff, this goal has been successfully achieved.
The Ukrainian offensive has forced Russia to redirect significant resources to Kursk Oblast, weakening their positions on other fronts.
Additionally, Moscow sought assistance from North Korea, which deployed 12,000 of its soldiers to the region. However, North Korean forces have suffered heavy losses, with one brigade effectively destroyed and two others rendered combat-ineffective. As a result, North Korean units have been withdrawn from the frontline.
Over the past six months, Russian forces have suffered approximately 39,900 casualties in Kursk Oblast, including around 16,100 killed. Additionally, Ukrainian forces have captured 909 Russian soldiers, significantly bolstering the prisoner exchange fund.
Russian equipment losses in Kursk operation:
- 131 tanks
- 689 armored combat vehicles
- 386 artillery systems
- 12 multiple launch rocket systems
- 12 air defense systems
- 1 warplane
- 3 helicopters
- 931 operational-tactical level drones
- 1,164 vehicles
- 34 special equipment units
On February 4, 2025, it was reported that Ukrainian officials denied claims that North Korean military units had been withdrawn from the frontline in Kursk Oblast.
On February 5, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the issue of Kursk Oblast would be a key topic in diplomatic negotiations to end the war.
