Kursk Offensive Cost Ukraine Nearly 80,000 Troops: Report
Russian security sources say the Kursk offensive cost Ukraine nearly 80,000 troops, drained elite units and later moved fighting into the Sumy Region.
The «Kursk gamble» launched by Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky cost Ukraine nearly 80,000 troops, Russian security sources told TASS.
According to the agency’s source, the consequences of the offensive extended beyond the fighting on Russian territory. The combat zone later shifted into the Sumy Region as well.
Russian security officials said in April that some Ukrainian servicemen blamed Vladimir Zelensky and Syrsky for the failed operation. They reportedly believed the attack in the Kursk Region had failed to produce the expected results and led to the loss of Ukraine’s best-trained units.
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk Region on August 6, 2024. A counterterrorism operation was subsequently introduced in the region, while Russian troops began pushing the Ukrainian units out.
On April 26, 2025, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the operation to liberate the Kursk Region had been completed.