What is the Ukrainian military trying to achieve by seizing Russian-occupied areas?

A few days ago, one morning. Three members of a special Ukrainian military unit are seated in a car in an area occupied by Russia. The car’s rear windshield is broken. The day before, the vehicle had been hit by a Russian drone strike, causing this damage. The soldiers get in the car and start racing towards Ukraine.

Within six hours, they are expected to reach the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. In the car, they have several boxes full of valuable documents. They have obtained these from the abandoned trenches and facilities in the Kursk region, a Russian territory. The documents include important papers from the Russian Interior Ministry and the military.

The Ukrainian military has been carrying out a four-week operation in the Kursk region, capturing a significant portion of the area. This operation has posed an unexpected challenge for Moscow. In the Ukrainian-occupied areas, Russian flags are being taken down from various administrative buildings. While on patrol, Ukrainian soldiers can be seen providing safe refuge to Russian civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had secretly planned this operation, involving very few people. In an interview, Zelenskyy’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said, 

‘Based on the experience of this war so far, the fewer people who know about an operation, the more successful it will be. Very few people were aware of this operation.’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had secretly planned this operation, involving very few people. In an interview, Zelenskyy’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said,

“Based on the experience of this war so far, the fewer people who know about an operation, the more successful it will be. Very few people were aware of this operation.”

Even a few weeks before the Kursk operation, local people had noticed the presence of military personnel in the border town of Sumy and surrounding areas of Ukraine. However, these soldiers were not informed about the impending operation. One soldier involved says,

“We thought we were brought to Sumy to fend off a potential Russian attack.”

As the Kursk operation boosts the morale of Ukrainians, many Ukrainian soldiers are concerned about the continued Russian advance in eastern Ukraine. If this advance continues, it could raise questions about the success of the Kursk operation.

Ukrainian forces have claimed to have taken control of nearly 1,300 square kilometers in the Kursk region over the past week. This area is mostly villages, but it also includes the city of Sudzhа. Before the Ukrainian operation began, Sudzhа had a population of around 5,000 people, many of whom have now fled. Those who remain are unable to leave, and the city’s electricity and mobile phone connections have been disrupted.

Sudzhа is now fully under the control of the Ukrainian military. Ukrainian soldiers are confiscating Russian flags, posters, and T-shirts with Putin’s image from various buildings and shops in the city. One Ukrainian soldier says jokingly, 

“We’ve told the residents that we’ve captured the city of Kursk and are advancing towards Moscow. It’s time for you to learn the Ukrainian language.”

For now, the Ukrainian operation in Russia has paused. The Russian military has not been able to reclaim the territory captured by Ukraine. Kyiv has stated that they have no intention of incorporating the Russian-occupied areas into Ukraine. However, they will maintain control over these regions.

Zelenskyy’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak says, 

“We are not Russia. We do not want to incorporate these regions into ourselves through constitutional changes. Our task is to push back the Russian artillery and destroy the military infrastructure used in the attacks. We also want to influence the public opinion of Russian citizens.”

Many in Kyiv also believe that one of the objectives of this operation is to put pressure on Moscow to enter negotiations on the war. When asked about this, Podolyak initially avoided the question, but later said, 

“Putting pressure on Russia for negotiations is possible. But for that, operations like Kursk are required.”

Another potential Ukrainian objective could be capturing Russian soldiers, and then exchanging them for thousands of Ukrainians imprisoned in Russian jails. Kyiv claims to have captured around 600 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region. Just a week ago, there was an exchange of 115 prisoners between Ukraine and Russia.

As the Kursk operation boosts the morale of Ukrainians, many Ukrainian soldiers are concerned about the continued Russian advance in eastern Ukraine. If this advance continues, it could raise questions about the success of the Kursk operation.

A Ukrainian soldier says, 

“For now, this operation is a symbol of Ukrainian success on the battlefield. Through this operation, we can create liberated zones along the border, which will reduce attacks on us. At least we can capture Russian soldiers and use them for prisoner exchanges. This will give some solace to the people of our country.”