But heavy losses might be worth it, if Ukraine can seize and hold a big portion of Kursk.
Eleven days in their invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian troops firmly control 200 square miles of Kursk—and contest an additional 350 square miles.
But the galloping advance has cost the Ukrainian invasion corps—made up of around a half-dozen brigades and a few independent battalions plus supporting units—a significant number of precious armored vehicles plus potentially scores of troops.
Russian forces have lost only a few vehicles but their bewildered infantry have surrendered to the attacking Ukrainians by the dozen.
The ratio of equipment losses—heavy Ukrainian write-offs compared to relatively few Russian write-offs—is unusual. On average throughout Russia’s 29-month wider war on Ukraine, the Russians have lost many more vehicles than the Ukrainians.
Whether the high losses are worth it to the general staff in Kyiv depends on the invasion’s objectives—and whether the loss ratio flips as the Kursk campaign develops.
On an average day in the 905-day wider war, the Russian military loses nearly four tanks and nearly eight infantry vehicles, according to a running tally by the analysts at Oryx. The Ukrainian military loses just one tank and three infantry vehicles on an average day.
Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk has not been average. Rolling across the border through gaps in Russian defenses on Aug.
