Tuesday, 3 December 2024

Ukraine’s exhausted troops in Russia told to cling on and wait for Trump

 Ukraine’s exhausted troops in Russia told to cling on and wait for Trump

Two Ukrainian soldiers lean over a mortar in a wooden ditch preparing to fire at Russian positions in the Sumy region on 30 September 2024Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,

Ukrainian soldiers say they've been ordered to hang onto territory in Kursk region until Trump takes office, with new policies, in January

“The situation is getting worse every day.”

“We don’t see the goal. Our land is not here.”

Almost four months after Ukrainian troops launched a lightning offensive into the Russian region of Kursk, text messages from soldiers fighting there paint a dismal picture of a battle they don’t properly understand and fear they might be losing.

We’ve been in contact, via Telegram, with several soldiers serving in Kursk, one of whom has recently left. We’ve agreed not to identify any of them.

None of the names in this article are real.

They speak of dire weather conditions and a chronic lack of sleep caused by Russia’s constant bombardment, which includes the use of terrifying, 3,000kg glide bombs.

They’re also in retreat, with Russian forces gradually retaking territory.

“This trend will continue,” Pavlo wrote on 26 November. “It’s only a matter of time.”

A Ukrainian soldier stands next to a broken military vehicle, in Sumy region, Ukraine August 11, 2024Image source,Reuters
Image caption,

They are under immense pressure in Kursk, under constant Russian bombardment

Pavlo spoke of immense fatigue, the lack of rotation and the arrival of units, made up largely of middle-aged men, brought directly from other fronts with little or no time to rest in between.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4x9gz4ylwo

No comments:

Post a Comment