AFU Overcomes Russia’s Manpower and Equipment Numbers Using Maneuver Operations – ISW

The operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kursk region illustrates how Ukrainians can use maneuver warfare to compensate for Russia’s superiority in manpower and equipment.

This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.

According to analysts, from January to July 2024, Russian troops occupied a total of 1,175 square kilometers of Ukraine’s territory.

For comparison, as a result of the operation in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military occupied approximately 800 square kilometers over six days from Aug. 6 to 12, and as of Aug. 17, they had advanced to a depth of approximately 28 kilometers.

“Ukraine’s use of maneuver in the Kursk region is an example of how a Ukrainian operation combined with operational surprise can lead to greater territorial gains in a much shorter period of time and with fewer manpower and equipment. A prolonged positional war, on the other hand, will only exacerbate Ukraine’s lack of resources, and a protracted war will increase the costs for Ukraine and its partners,” the analysts say.

It is noted that Ukraine’s ability to achieve a quick maneuver in the Kursk region shows that Ukrainian forces have learnt the lessons of the past months of positional warfare.

As reported, the Defense Forces’ offensive in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation began on Aug. 6, 2024.

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So far, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken control of more than a thousand square kilometres of Kursk region with dozens of settlements.

On Aug. 15, President Volodymyr Zelensky chaired a meeting of the Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, where it was announced that a military commandant’s office would be established in the controlled territories of Kursk region. Maj. Gen. Eduard Moskalev was appointed its head.

According to the British newspaper The Independent, the Ukrainian Armed Forces may have captured about 2,000 Russian soldiers during the operation in the Kursk region.