The Kursk offensive remains an example of sudden asymmetric and successful actions by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In the six months since its beginning, the total losses of the Russian army amounted to about 40,000 people, including more than 16,000 killed.
According to Ukrinform, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Facebook.
“The operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation began on August 6, 2024, and has been going on for six months. For the first time in 11 years of war, combat operations were moved to the territory of Russia. Our troops continue to hold hundreds of square kilometers of the “buffer zone” in the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
The Kursk offensive was aimed at preventing a new enemy offensive in Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
“This operation still fulfills this function 6 months later. The operation forced the Russian occupiers to transfer significant resources to the Kursk region, weakening their positions on other frontlines,” the General Staff noted.
Russia was also forced to ask for help from North Korea, which sent 12,000 of its troops to the Kursk region.
“The total losses of the DPRK contingent amounted to about 4,000 people. Of the three notional North Korean brigades, one was actually destroyed and two lost their combat capability. Therefore, at present, the DPRK units have been withdrawn from the front line,” the General Staff noted.
Over the 6 months of active hostilities in the Kursk region, total Russian losses in manpower amounted to approximately 39,900 people, including about 16,100 killed.
Equipment lost by the enemy, as of February 5, 2025: 131 tanks, 689 armored combat vehicles, 386 artillery systems, 12 MLRS, 12 air defense systems, 1 airplane, 3 helicopters, 931 operational and tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,164 vehicles, 34 special vehicles.
During the operation, Ukrainian forces captured 909 Russian soldiers, significantly replenishing the exchange fund. This allowed hundreds of Ukrainian defenders who had been held in Russian prisons to return home.
“The Kursk offensive remains an example of sudden asymmetric and successful actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which allow inflicting significant losses on the superior enemy and seizing the initiative on the battlefield,” the General Staff emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky predicts that the Kursk operation will become an important part of the negotiation process.
Source: General Staff reveals AFU achievements in six months of Kursk operation
