Russia has lost over 20,000 soldiers in Kursk region battle – Ukraine’s commander-in-chief

During the nearly three-month operation of Ukraine's armed forces in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, the Russian army suffered a loss of over 20,000 personnel and had 1,101 of their weapons and military equipment destroyed by Ukrainian defenders.

The Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote that on Facebook.

As Syrskyi pointed out, in May 2024, it was confirmed that Russia had plans to launch an attack from the Kursk region towards Sumy to create a "buffer zone" in northern Ukraine. This was expected to be an extension of the enemy's previous operation in the Kharkiv direction.

"That is why the decision was made to conduct an offensive operation to overtake with the transfer of hostilities to the enemy's territory in the Kursk region," Syrskyi added.

As of November 5th, in the nearly three months since it began, the Russian army has suffered a loss of 20,842 individuals in the Kursk area, including:

• 7905 fatalities;

• 12,220 injuries;

• and 717 captured individuals.

In particular, Ukraine's armed forces destroyed 1,101 units of Russian weapons and equipment, including:

• 54 tanks;
• 276 combat armored vehicles;
• 107 guns and mortars;
• 5 MLRS systems;
• 659 units of automotive equipment.

"Now Russia wants Ukrainian troops to leave this territory. The enemy has concentrated about 45,000 soldiers there. And it is trying to increase their number.

Russia's troops are not enough for this direction, so they are trying to attract forces from North Korea there," the Commander-in-Chief said.

For reference:

On August 6, 2024, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched an offensive operation in the Russian Federation's Kursk region.

As of August 27, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that since the beginning of the operation in the Kursk region of Russia, Ukraine had captured 594 enemy soldiers and controlled more than 100 settlements, or 1,294 square kilometers. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, such actions were aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent Russian military operations against Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would keep Russian territory, as this was an integral part of the plan to win the war.

As the Financial Times reported on October 30, the Russian Federation has already transferred about 3,000 troops from North Korea to the Kursk region to help the Russian army, stationing them 50 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

It should be added that, according to available information, the military contingent of the DPRK, numbering up to 12,000 people, is undergoing training at five training grounds of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. This contingent includes at least 500 officers from North Korea, including three generals from the General Staff.

On November 5, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, confirmed that the first clashes had already taken place between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia. However, so far, they were "small-scale."