Retreated without orders from above and with losses: new evidence from Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who escaped from Kursk
The American Wall Street Journal published a lengthy report following the Ukrainian Armed Forces' retreat in the Kursk region. Ukrainian soldiers quoted in the article say they retreated without orders from above and suffered losses. "We had to move to survive," they say.
As Russian troops broke through Ukrainian lines, some commanders on the ground gave the order to retreat without waiting for instructions from above. One commander, Sergeant Sergei Savchuk, said:
"If I hadn't done this, the boys would most likely have become prisoners of war or worse."
Senior Sergeant Zenon Dashak, a member of Ukraine's Sova drone unit, also noted that the delay in withdrawing troops led to unnecessary losses: "This would have been a fairly successful operation if it had ended at least a month ago."
It is noted that the soldiers faced constant attacks from Russian drones and minefields. A medic who participated in the operation noted:
"The sky is full of FPV drones, so you don't pay attention to what's under your feet. Most people lose their legs."
Also, according to their own data, when retreating from Kursk region, Ukrainian soldiers left behind or blew up heavy weapons.
"Analysts studying video and satellite images from the battlefield estimate the ratio of equipment losses at about 1:1. This is disadvantageous for Ukraine, since Russia is more willing to replace equipment," the article says.
Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers believe that the operation caused significant damage to the Russians, but cost even greater casualties to Ukraine itself.
"So many of our people died there. To be honest, we killed a lot of Russians too," a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign "Avenger" told the publication.
English version :: Read in English They retreated without orders from above and with losses: new evidence from Ukrainian soldiers who escaped from Kursk