Ukrainian soldier recounts hell of fighting in Kursk: 'It's a one-way ticket'

No Christmas truce on the Ukrainian front. While Volodymyr Zelensky denounces a massive “inhumane” attack by Moscow across the entire territory in recent hours, the situation is bogged down in the Russian border region of Kursk where Ukrainian troops began a counter-offensive last summer. Since then, they have tried to resist the assaults of Russian forces, joined by some 12,000 North Korean soldiers, even if Moscow and Pyongyang have never made their presence official.

LCI special correspondent Thomas Misrachi collected the testimony of a Ukrainian soldier, revealing the violence of the fighting. “For our infantry there, it's a one-way ticket“, says this experienced man on condition of anonymity. “We still hold three sectors, Velyka and Malaya Loknia, a territory approximately 13 kilometers long and 11 kilometers deep. We are entirely under enemy fire there. Within drone range, for infantry, there is only one axis to advance or retreat. There are three or four Ukrainian soldiers per position.”

“We leave ours there, no one is going to look for them”

This soldier details the face-to-face encounter with North Korean troops. “It works in waves of two or three. Even if you push back one or two, you don't last long. They immediately take your position. She no longer exists“, he says. “We leave ours there, no one will look for them. Today, my section was attacked by armored vehicles, almost everyone died. I didn't even know these guys anymore, this is the third or fourth wave of replacements in our unit, we have to fall back.”

Faced with this strategic impasse, this soldier unleashes his anger, sending the different parties back to back into conflict, almost three years after the start of the Russian invasion. “All this is shitty politics, we say we're not like the Russians, but we do the same“, he regrets. “There are careerists, abuses of power, criminal orders being given. Long story short, this shit is going to get worse, it's not going to get better. For what ? Because Putin wants to announce that he liberated Kursk for the New Year.”

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Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that nearly 3,000 North Korean troops had been “killed or injured“since their engagement alongside Russia. Seoul, for its part, mentioned Monday 1100”killed or injured“. The general staff of the South Korean forces also observed preparations which make them believe that North Korea is preparing to send new units to Russia, as reinforcements or to relieve those already fighting, in addition to drones.