Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Kursk share their views on the largest incursion into Russian territory since the start of the war

Nearly three weeks into Kyiv’s cross-border offensive, Ukrainian forces control over 366 square miles of Russian territory and 66 settlements, according to Meduza’s latest estimates. While the Ukrainian authorities have stated that the operation aims to create a “buffer zone” to protect against Russian shelling, the incursion’s broader objectives remain unclear. Ukrainska Pravda spoke with three members of Ukraine’s Armed Forces who are participating in the operation to gather their perspectives. Here’s what they shared.

The names and call signs of the interviewees have been changed.

Valeriy, 27

Since the onset of the full-scale war, Valeriy has been serving as a drone operator with Ukraine’s border troops in the Sumy region. According to him, the section of the border where he’s stationed was relatively calm before the start of the Kursk operation, and shops in Ukrainian border villages were still operating. Although Russian forces occasionally shelled the area, “it was often quiet,” he says, and there weren’t any direct armed clashes.

Valeriy describes the operation in the Kursk region as “highly classified”: “There was talk among us that something was about to happen, especially since equipment was moving past us. But we only learned about the start of the operation on the day it began, at 5:00 a.m. on August 6.” That morning, through drone footage, Valeriy and his fellow soldiers saw the forward battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces begin dismantling Russian defenses at the border and clearing minefields. Two hours later, armored vehicles crossed into Russian territory.

Valeriy noted that over time, the Russian military started dropping more and more precision-guided bombs on their own villages — something they hadn’t done at the start of the operation. In his view, this is “a response to their inability to stop [the Ukrainian] advance.”

How do I feel about the operation? It’s been two weeks, and I think this advance will have to come to a stopping point soon. Right now, everyone’s thrilled: ‘Awesome,’ ‘Our guys broke through,’ ‘Our guys are pushing forward.’ But maybe not everyone understands what the consequences could be for Sumy and the border areas. The Russians could start leveling everything — just carpet-bombing a five-kilometer area with precision-guided bombs.

‘Shen,’ 33

Shen serves in the Air Assault Forces. He says that soldiers “began to suspect” a planned cross-border offensive a year before the operation: “Remember when the news reported that we were in [Russia’s] Belgorod region? That passage was being prepared to bring our troops through later. Everything was just delayed due to a lack of personnel and equipment.” Before the offensive began, the soldiers trained in various maneuvers and clearing buildings at a firing range.

However, there was little specific information about the upcoming operation, which Shen believes was for the best, as “the less soldiers know, the easier it is for them to complete the mission.” Shen and his comrades arrived in the Sumy region in early August. They were told they’d be crossing into Russian territory only two to three hours before the operation.

I entered Sudzha on the afternoon of August 10. Honestly, I expected it to be much gloomier, but it was a European-style town! Although now it’s less presentable because of the ongoing fighting. Sudzha has civilization, good roads — maybe because it’s near the border. Wealthy people live there; [you see] expensive cars, houses, renovations.

Shen’s task was to clear the captured settlements, house by house. He says the civilians they encountered reacted to the Ukrainian soldiers “like anyone would to armed men — with automatic distrust.”

Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very start, and we are committed to reporting objectively on a war we firmly oppose. Join Meduza in its mission to challenge the Kremlin’s censorship with the truth. Donate today.

According to Shen, at the beginning of the operation, Russian border guards “surrendered in droves,” but as Ukrainian forces advanced, regular Russian army troops “barricaded themselves in buildings and shot back.” When that happened, the Ukrainian units would call in artillery to shell the site before moving in to clear the area." Whenever possible, they’d “take someone prisoner to gather additional information.” Shen estimates that 80 to 90 percent of Russian soldiers “surrendered on their own.”

Shen was wounded on August 16. He and other Ukrainian soldiers were trying to clear another village when Russian soldiers barricaded themselves in a house and fired back with a mortar. A piece of shrapnel struck Shen in the leg — his third injury since the start of the war. He’s currently recovering in a hospital.

Did I feel like an occupier when I was standing in Sudzha? The guys were saying stuff like that, but I didn’t feel that way. I felt like someone who’s willing to sacrifice something for the sake of peace on my own land. It’s like in chess: I’m moving more pieces onto the opponent’s field to gain an advantage on my own. I think we want to force an exchange, and to do that, we need to secure our position well.

‘Sanchez,’ 25

Sanchez serves in the reconnaissance unit of an airborne assault brigade. He says he “really liked” the operation: “When we were on defense, I was laying mines and sometimes leading people to positions. But here — ambushes, clearing operations! It’s an adrenaline rush.”

Sanchez views the actions of Ukrainian forces on Russian territory as fundamentally different from the behavior of Russian forces in Ukraine. “Look at Sudzha — it’s still standing,” he says. “It’s not Bakhmut, not Marinka, not Avdiivka. Yes, of course, some buildings are damaged, that’s unavoidable, but the city hasn’t been wiped out. We’re not animals.”

Sanchez’s first combat mission in the Kursk operation took place on August 16. He was assigned to help clear a settlement. As they entered, the Ukrainians overheard two Russian soldiers talking nearby, so they set up an ambush and demanded the soldiers surrender. According to Sanchez, one soldier was ready to comply, but the other began to disengage the safety on his weapon, forcing them to shoot.

How would I describe everything happening in the Kursk region right now? I’d like to call it revenge, but it doesn’t feel like revenge. We’re not bombing houses to the ground, not killing civilians. In Sudzha, I saw our guys handing out water and food. We’re handling this operation with cool heads. The only downside is that we’re losing our people. But the Russians are losing theirs too; they’re pulling in reserves, and now they have to think not only about advancing in the east [of Ukraine] but also about defending the Kursk region.

Sanchez says he loves history and knows that “the Kursk and Belgorod regions were once Ukrainian territories, but that was a long time ago,” and in these areas, he feels like he’s on foreign soil. He believes that taking the war onto Russian territory was the right move and that pushing into Russian land is “also a form of defense.”