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One objective of the Kursk incursion is to draw Russian troops into its territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with NBC News that, as of today, Russia has mobilized nearly 60,000 soldiers for defense operations in the region.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that the shortage of long-range missiles and shells forced Ukraine to consider alternative defensive strategies to prevent a Russian breakthrough in the Sumy or Chernihiv regions, leading to the Kursk incursion.
“One of the goals of the Kursk operation was to draw Russian troops into their own territory. I can communicate this because they have mobilized about 60,000 (soldiers – ed.). They have taken troops from areas where we faced difficulties because we did not have the promised weapon packages,” Zelenskyy noted.
He added that at certain times, the shortage of weapons was severe—one Ukrainian artillery shell was met with 12 enemy shells.
“Imagine, at one point, the supply ‘gap’ meant our weapon usage was 1 to 12—artillery: one shell from us for every twelve shells from Russia. No matter how many troops you have, if they have 12 shells and you have 1, you will have more casualties. Therefore, a smart solution was needed,” the Ukrainian leader explained.
According to him, the ratio of shells on the Pokrovsk front now looks like one to three.
“It is challenging now on the Pokrovsk front, but the ratio of strikes is no longer 1 to 12 but 1 to 3. Have we increased the number of weapons? No. Have they decreased? Yes!” Zelenskyy said.
On 6 August, Ukraine began its incursion of up to 1,000 soldiers into Russia’s Kursk region, which caught the Russian military off guard. It is the first instance of a foreign army penetrating Russian territory since World War II.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s forces continue to extend their control over specific areas within Russian territory and replenish their exchange stock with Russian captives.
