Russian forces have suffered nearly 40,000 casualties, including more than 16,000 killed, in the six months since the start of Ukraine’s Kursk offensive operation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported on Thursday, Feb. 6.
“For the first time in 11 years of war, hostilities have shifted onto Russian territory. Our troops continue to hold hundreds of square kilometers of the ‘buffer zone’ inside the Russian Federation,” the statement shared via Telegram read.
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The report said the Kursk operation was launched to prevent a new Russian offensive against Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
“This operation has continued to serve its intended purpose for the past six months,” the General Staff added.
The offensive reportedly forced Russia to divert significant military resources to the Kursk region, weakening its positions on other front lines. Moscow also sought reinforcements from North Korea, which sent 12,000 troops to the area.
The total losses of the North Korean (DPRK) contingent amounted to approximately 4,000 soldiers, according to the report.
“Of the three conventional North Korean brigades deployed, one was effectively destroyed, while the remaining two lost combat effectiveness. As a result, North Korean units have now been withdrawn from the front line,” the General Staff stated.
During the operation, Ukrainian forces captured 909 Russian soldiers, significantly boosting Ukraine’s prisoner-exchange pool and enabling the return of hundreds of Ukrainian defenders held in Russian captivity, the General Staff outlined.
Ukraine Strikes ‘Like a Bolt From the Blue’ in New Kursk Offensive, Russian Reports Say
The report also detailed the destruction of Russian military equipment as of Feb. 5:
- 131 tanks
- 689 armored combat vehicles
- 386 artillery systems
- 12 multiple launch rocket systems
- 12 air defense systems
- 1 aircraft
- 3 helicopters
- 931 operational-tactical UAVs
- 1,164 transport vehicles
- 34 special equipment units
“The Kursk offensive operation remains an example of a sudden, asymmetric, and highly successful Ukrainian military strategy. It has inflicted substantial losses on a numerically superior enemy while allowing Ukraine to seize the battlefield initiative,” the statement said.
After Ukrainian troops unexpectedly seized part of Russia’s Kursk region last summer, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that repelling the invasion was the Defense Ministry’s top priority.
While Russian troops continue advancing in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv is reportedly holding on to its gains in Kursk as a potential bargaining chip for future negotiations, Bloomberg reported.
According to the report, the first occupation of Russian territory since World War II is a personal blow to Putin, whose domestic image relies on projecting strength and protecting the nation’s interests.
Russian officials estimate that around 150,000 people have fled their homes in Kursk due to ongoing fighting. Dissatisfaction is also growing over the government’s failure to protect civilians, with protests erupting in January.
Hundreds of residents took to the streets, demanding better housing for displaced people and assistance in locating missing relatives.
Nikolay Petrov, a consultant at the London-based think tank Chatham House, described the Kremlin’s approach to the Kursk situation as treating it “as a regional problem, not a national one.”
Meanwhile, Bota Ilias, a senior analyst at the strategic intelligence firm Prizma, said that Putin was being forced to prioritize his military efforts, as his forces were exhausted and he seemed more focused on making gains in Ukraine rather than reclaiming territory in the Kursk region.
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