The redeployment by the Russians to the Kursk Oblast has weakened the Russian forces in other areas. This includes Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, as well as Kramatorsk.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said on Ukrainian TV on 10 October that Russia had redeployed around 50,000 troops from other fronts to Kursk Oblast.
The offensive by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast began on 6 August 2024. Since then, fighting in the oblast has continued, with the Ukrainian army claiming control of dozens of settlements including the district centre of Sudzha. Russian authorities have either denied these claims or have not commented.
Syrskyi stated that the redeployment by the Russians to the Kursk Oblast had weakened the Russian forces in other areas. This includes Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, as well as Kramatorsk.
Syrskyi stated that “this, of course, made it easier for us to conduct defensive operations” (Ukraine).
Syrskyi said that Russia planned a new offensive from the Kursk Oblast against Ukraine before Ukrainian forces started their operation in this oblast. He says that this Russian plan was prevented by Ukrainian forces.
On 6 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Kursk operation “an important phase of the war”.
Zelenskyy said that the Kursk Operation has contributed significantly to the exchange fund to free Ukrainian prisoners.
By opening a second front on Russian soil, Ukraine hopes to divert Russian attention and resources away from its eastern regions. This could ease pressure on Ukrainian defenders.
Despite Ukrainian gains, Russian forces continue their advance in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military withdrew recently from Vuhledar, in southern Donetsk Oblast, after the town had resisted Russian attack for two years.
Vuhledar is a strategic city in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast with a population of 14,000 before the war. The Russians are looking to use it for offensives and further advances.
Intense fighting continues in Chasiv Yar, Toretsk and Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops are approaching the key logistic hub of Pokrovsk.
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