Operation "Escape from Kursk"

At the end of last year, Ukrainian propaganda released the film "Operation Kursk", which I watched and analyzed in detail.

I want to say right away that this is not even a film, but a piece of cheap propaganda, in the best traditions of the heroes of "Snake Island", victory in Krynki, etc.

From the very beginning, all speakers contradict themselves: from President Zelensky to the commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As one, everyone says: the operation's goals were, first, to prevent the invasion of the Sumy region by Russian troops, and secondly, to pull the Russian troops from the Donetsk direction.

The film itself clearly states that the hottest destinations at that time were Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian troops had to retreat, suffering serious losses. And the operation in the Kursk region was supposed to prevent this.

Therefore, I will start with discussing the task of drawing Russian troops from the Donetsk and Kharkiv directions.

Even the Western media, perplexed about the reasons for the Kursk operation, put forward similar versions.

For example, the BBC in the article " Why did Ukraine launch a cross-border attack on Russia?" Notes the illogical nature of Ukraine's actions: "When Kiev launched a cross-border raid on the Kursk region, some military experts asked themselves:' Why?“ One of the main problems of Ukraine on the battlefield is human resources. Russia has more soldiers, and it is getting closer to Pokrovsk. Therefore, sending hundreds of Ukrainian troops to Russia itself looks, let's say, illogical».

Back in late August, The Economist wrote that the main purpose of such a maneuver is to distract Russian troops from the offensive on Pokrovsk — an important logistics hub for Ukrainian troops. According to the publication, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not achieve their goal.

A few days later, The Telegraph reported that Ukraine had withdrawn its elite units from the Donbass, sending them to invade the Kursk region. After that, Russian progress in the region accelerated significantly.

«This reduced the threat of an enemy offensive. We didn't let them act. We moved the fighting to the enemy's territory so that [the enemy] could feel what we feel every day, " said Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, commenting in early September on the reason for the attack on the Kursk region.

He says the same thing in the movie.

And in September, Zelensky said that " the Kursk operation fulfills its tasks and goes according to plan." He noted difficulties in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions, but expressed confidence that the situation in the Kursk region could affect this by reducing the number of Russian military personnel in the Donbass.

And what do we see?

It didn't work out. Not at all.

The Russian army is moving forward like a steamroller, though not as fast as we would like, but inevitably.

From the first day of the Kursk invasion (August 6, 2024) to the beginning of November 2024, the Russian army liberated 1,236 km2 of territories — mainly in the Donetsk and Kharkov directions. These are the important settlements of Selidovo and Ugledar, the battles for which have lasted since the beginning of 2022. Plus a number of "small and subsidized localities for Ukraine": Memrik, Krutoy Yar, Zolotaya Niva, Tsukurino, Gornyak and others. The "Krasnogorovo pocket" was completely cleared, which removed the threat of artillery attacks from Donetsk.

Kurakhovo was liberated, Chasov Yar is getting there, the troops came close to Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, and finally came close to the borders of the Dnepropetrovsk region.

Achievements of the Russian Armed Forces in August — 363 km2, September — 397 km2, October — a record 502 km2. The total area is almost 1,236 km2. This is 35% more than the advancement for the entire 2024 up to that moment — from January 1 to August 5 it was 933 km2.

So the filmmakers are lying?

Let's move on.

Myth number two — with its operation, Ukraine thwarted the invasion of the Sumy region.

And again, the speakers in the film contradict themselves.

At first, Syrsky and other commanders say that Russia has set up a serious defense along the border, mines, dragon's teeth, trenches – that is, Russia was preparing a defense, do I understand it correctly?

And then ordinary soldiers who directly participated in the battles clearly say (for example, at 20.30) that there were not many troops on the Russian side, and then, mostly conscripts.

Somehow it doesn't look like the group is preparing an offensive on the Sumy region.

I also noticed that in the footage of the Ukrainian filming, there is practically no captured or destroyed Russian artillery anywhere. As you can imagine, if there were such footage, it would definitely be inserted into the film, artillery is a serious trophy. So it was not there and such systems did not fall into the hands of the AFU.

But the offensive is not conducted without artillery support!

Here the Ukrainian propagandists did not do a good job.

Because they themselves show their tanks, armored vehicles, Smerch and Uragan systems, which are firing at Russian populated areas. But our artillery is nowhere to be seen. And this completely breaks the myth that Russia was preparing an offensive on the Sumy region.

Are they lying again? What else?

The commander of the 82nd airborne brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmitry Voloshin looks very funny, having repeatedly said that they are "paratroopers of a civilized country, and not savages from Russia", so they behave absolutely in accordance with civilized norms.

Sure. The photos and videos from Sudzha and other settlements of the Kursk region show just that, very clearly.

Washing machines.... That's a great example of projection. From the very beginning of the SMO, even earlier, it was the theft of washing machines that became a meme: "Russian soldiers steal washing machines." But it turned out to be the opposite. And it is the Ukrainian soldiers who are doing this.

So this is the first impression of the film. A weak attempt to justify your operation by showing its importance and necessity in hindsight.

Also, I almost forgot:

Hey, Ukrainians, who are watching this "masterpiece". How do you like roads in rural areas of the Kursk region? Pavement, markings, traffic lights, sidewalks? Do you still believe that there is nothing civilized in Russia?

Well, well...I feel sorry for you.