As Volodymyr braced himself to penetrate Russian borders, he was filled with a heady mix of tension and anticipation. The significance of this moment was not lost on him; he was reminded of another battle that occurred 81 years ago in the region of Kursk in Russia, a crucial moment in European history.
Together with his fellow fighters from the 82nd air assault brigade, Volodymyr listened attentively to his commander’s orders: remain alert, act swiftly, and always remember the home you’re fighting for. Following a brief invocation and a spirited shout of “Glory to Ukraine!”, they were ready to advance into Russia, a feat no foreign military had attempted since the Second World War.
“We first stepped onto Russian soil at 1 pm on Tuesday [August 6th]”, Volodymyr recounted, “We were among the early arrivals.”
To their surprise, Volodymyr along with his squad faced zero opposition as their US Stryker assault vehicle, weighing 20 tonnes and outfitted with eight wheels, stormed across the border in full daylight.
They soon stumbled upon a cluster of Russian soldiers “idly seated in the forest enjoying their coffee”, narrated Volodymyr. “Our Stryker ploughed right through their table. We claimed many lives that first day,” he said. “Mainly because they were caught off-guard without their arms.”
In an attempt to avoid the fate of their fallen fellows, “dozens” of Russian soldiers, still in a state of shock, instantly surrendered their weapons, he noted.
Over the subsequent six days, the trepidation shared by the thousands of Ukrainian soldiers partaking in this bold manoeuvre gradually transformed into a sense of triumph. They made steady progress, seizing control of several villages, a portion of a railway track, and a crucial point of the gas transit system. They also began hurriedly setting up defensive positions, bracing for the imminent arrival of Russian reinforcement.
Yet, the expected onslaught of Russian soldiers never materialised—at least not in the way they had anticipated. The Russian forces retaliated using advanced glide bombs fired from their fighter jets, causing significant damage to the Ukrainian troops and some of their essential, Western-supplied equipment. They also had to face Lancet X-winged suicide drones hurtling towards them. Despite these striking new challenges, the Ukrainians persevered.
“It was a bit challenging initially, but the situation gradually improved,” stated Roman, another member of Volodymyr’s battalion.
On the previous Friday, a Russian rocket-propelled grenade struck the Stryker vehicle that Ukrainian soldiers were in. Despite the driver enduring a concussion, everyone in the vehicle survived due to its armour layer. The incapacitated vehicle was then towed back across the border when it could no longer be driven.
The Financial Times encountered the team just 5km into Ukraine on the following Sunday. Volodymyr, Roman and two more servicemen were disassembling the wrecked Stryker to salvage any usable spare parts for other machines. When this was done, it was set to be returned to a US base in Germany for reconstruction.
The move of the Ukrainian was kept from the knowledge of the US and German governments, two key allies offering military and financial assistance. The German government spokesperson Wolfgang Büchner on the subsequent Monday proclaimed that the plan was executed ‘in true stealth and without Berlin’s cognizance’. He proffered that all signs suggested a deployment of confined scope.
Similarly, the Ukrainian troops were euphoric about the progress of the mission. Within a week, they’d penetrated well over 30km into Russian lines and asserted they had taken almost 1,000sq km of land. Volodymyr stated they were not stopping their advancement towards Kursk, the regional capital.
The soldiers reported that Russian ceasefire efforts were futile and they had either detained or eliminated many of their influx. Ukrainian drone recordings illustrated a Russian convoy being targeted by a US-produced Himars missile, causing an inferno.
President Putin lambasted the operation, terming it a large-scale ‘instigation’, leading to Moscow relocating upwards of 130,000 residents from the bordering Kursk and Belgorod regions.
On the flip side, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy remarked during the weekend that his country’s agenda was to ‘redirect the war to the oppressor’s land’ and apply ‘pressure’ on Russia to restore order.
Limited nuances have been shared about the strategic planning and implementation of the operation, and the servicemen were cautious to avoid leaking any crucial data. A considerable number of soldiers remained uninformed about the mission until it was imminent.
According to testimonials from the soldiers and analysis of the combat footage shared on social media by the Ukrainian brigades, elements from a minimum of six Ukrainian brigades participated.
Days prior to the commencement of the operation, Volodymyr, along with the paratroopers from the 82nd brigade were relocated to Ukraine’s Sumy region in the north.
Other troops indicated – and their social media footage confirmed – that their previous battlegrounds included conflict zones in the Kharkiv region in the east, where they held off Russian troops who had initiated their own border invasion in May.
Their battlegrounds also comprised the Donetsk region, where strategic locations of Chasiv Yar, Niu-York and Toretsk have persisted under the unceasing Russian offence for a prolonged duration.
Denys, a serviceman manoeuvring a US-supplied Humvee with a desert camouflage paintwork, spoke about the stark contrast between the battle in Kursk – the site of a significant clash between the German and Soviet forces in 1943 – and those in the Donetsk region.
He mentioned the difficulty of defending from existing positions, as the adversaries were well-informed about them and had technological surveillance that observed every single movement. The advantage in Kursk was the element of surprise, he added, but he also found it astonishing how taken aback the enemies were by their pre-emptive strike.
Denys stated that the primary aim of the operation was securing Russian territory. “Our offensive here can enable us to claim their land, paving the way for negotiations and offering some of their land in a swap deal for our land,” he narrated.
Some soldiers mentioned that the goals also encompass compelling Russia to divert resources away from the Ukrainian front line. However, it is premature to determine the success of their efforts, as reports showed only a limited number of troops have been withdrawn from the fronts in Kharkiv and Donetsk.
On Monday, Putin alleged that Russian troops were continually advancing along the front line, and the speed of their attacks has escalated by 50% since Ukraine initiated its incursion.
A few soldiers confessed to being sceptical about the operation at first, expressing their concern about vacating their positions in Donetsk when the Russians were consistently advancing and posing a threat to Kyiv’s control over the remaining cities in the region.
Denys expressed concern that the operation might lead to the loss of key cities within the Donetsk territory. “Niu-York is certain to fall, possibly even as soon as tomorrow,” he voiced nervously. He also anticipated Russian control over Chasiv Yar and Toretsk in the near future.
Before the Kursk mission took place, a high-ranking Ukrainian figure alerted that the defensive barriers in the east were jeopardising. Deep State, a Ukrainian research group associated with the defence ministry, revealed that Russian forces are steadily acquiring territories around eastern Ukrainian fortresses.
Denys acknowledged, “These cities are essentially gone. They only belong to us on the map. The Russians have demolished them completely”. There is a fear among Ukrainian officials and military professionals that losing these cities could inhibit their military strategy and embolden Russia’s intimidation over the remaining strongholds in Donetsk.
In such audacious military actions, Ukrainian casualties are inevitable. The Russian defence department asserts that they have vanquished over 1,610 Ukrainian soldiers, a figure that’s unverified and thought to be inflated by ground forces. However, the steady stream of ambulances and armoured vehicles for medical evacuation heading to and from the front line is a stark reminder of the palpable loss.
Zoriana Stelmakh paid tribute to her brother, Denys Boyarchuk, a respected soldier of the 80th airborne assault brigade who lost his life in the initial stages of the operation. In an Instagram tribute highlighting Boyarchuk in his uniform, Stelmakh said he “gave his all for the Ukrainian nation until the last moment”.
Boyarchuk, known in the military as “Barista” due to his past as a barista, enlisted in the army in 2014. This was following Russia’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and their undercover invasion of the eastern Donbas region with the help of local separatist proxies. He was redeployed from Donetsk to Sumy region for the operation when he lost his life. He was laid to rest in a cemetery in western Ukraine on Sunday.
Stelmakh spoke with her brother last on August 4th, just two days before Ukrainian forces stormed into Kursk. Even as they had a small dispute, as siblings often do, she fondly remembers that conversation.
Her final utterance to Boyarchuk was “You have my love and embrace” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024.