Two weeks after the start of the Ukrainian army’s surprise offensive in the Kursk region, franceinfo went to the north-east of the country to meet soldiers who are trying to consolidate their territorial gains.
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Ukraine is still trying to preserve the positions it conquered in Russia, in the Kursk region, two weeks ago. In the last few hours, kyiv has gained a little more ground and currently controls more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian land. In the northeast of Ukraine, a few kilometers from the front line, the Russian territories conquered by the Ukrainians are very close. But the military prohibits access to franceinfo’s special correspondents.
To learn more about this operation, you have to talk, discreetly, with the rare soldiers who agree to talk, like Sergeant Djura. “We are all very enthusiastic, we are hungry, because with this operation, the enemy is finally going to suffer and what’s more, it’s happening on their territory.”
Together with his men, this sergeant was one of the first to enter Russia two weeks ago. “Our success is due to the negligence of the Russians, their unpreparedness, their weak fortification systems. Moreover, on their positions there were young conscripts doing their military service,” says Djura.
“When we entered their territory, we saw that the Russians had abandoned light armored vehicles, tanks. There were rocket launchers everywhere on the ground and mortar shells scattered on the ground.”
Sergeant Djura, Ukrainian Armyto franceinfo
Many Russians have fled, others have been taken prisoner, but the operation is far from over for the Ukrainians, as evidenced by these missiles launched from their positions towards Russia. On the front line, fighting is raging. The Russians are trying to retake the lost positions.
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Sherkan is a soldier in an anti-tank platoon. “I just came back from there. We were in our positions in Russia, in the Kursk region. We controlled the roads to prevent them from crossing our lines. The Russians were a few kilometers from us. They were trying to attack us with kamikaze drones, artillery… But we held firm, he assures. Our enemies have received reinforcements in equipment. And according to our intelligence teams, they have also brought back Wagner soldiers and Chechens. There are really a lot of them.”
For Ukrainians, the challenge now is to hold on to these pieces of Russian territory. That is part of the job of military engineers and men like Sergii. “We install defense barriers and minefields. But we do it in accordance with the Geneva Convention. We do not lay anti-personnel mines. Only anti-tank mines.”he assures.
And so far, this work is working, since since the beginning of the operation, the Russians have not managed any significant counterattacks.