Russia has lost a lot of troops and equipment in Kursk

The Ukrainian surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk region on August 6th was one of the most pivotal moments of the war in 2024. It achieved many goals and also hurt Russia badly according to comments from Ukraine’s top general. 

Ukrainian forces launched their invasion of Russia, the first time the country has seen enemy troops on its territory since the end of the Second World War, as a way to stop the Russians from launching an invasion into Ukraine. 

The Sumy region of Ukraine was set to see an incursion similar to the one that Moscow launched against Kharkiv Oblast in March 2024. This Russian assault proved to be an important win for Russia even if it petered out. 

According to the last campaign map from the Institute for the Study of War on assessed Russian control over areas in Ukraine, Russia still retains portions of territory in Kharkiv that it took in its attack, so it has had an impact on the conflict. 

In order to avoid a similar assault in Sumy, the Ukrainian high command devised a plan to hit Russia first in Kursk, disrupting its plans to open another front in the war. This also had other benefits according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Syrskyi revealed in a September 2024 interview with CNN that the rationale behind his move to invade Krusk was to prevent Russia from launching an offensive from the area into Ukraine and to create a security zone in the area.

The Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief also revealed he wanted to divert Russian soldiers away from other embattled areas of the frontline in Ukraine and boost the morale of his soldiers, all of which came to pass after the surprise invasion. 

Ukraine launched its invasion on August 6th and it was quickly met with huge success. Ukrainian forces captured 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of territory at the attack’s largest extent and still control about half of that land according to Newsweek. 

Kyiv is hoping to hold onto some of what it has taken so the territory can be used as a bargaining chip in future ceasefire negotiations. 

However, that doesn’t mean the initial invasion itself wasn’t successful, even though Ukraine has lost a lot of its original gains. 

In a January 1st, 2025, Telegram post, Syrskyi revealed just how badly Russia suffered as a result of the attack on Kursk after a visit to the area. Moscow lost tens of thousands of troops and a lot of equipment according to Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief.

Photo Credit: Telegram @osirskiy

Russian troops losses reached 38,000, a figure Newsweek noted it couldn’t independently verify, and over 1,000 pieces of military equipment. Ukrainian forces also captured 700 prisoners, some of which had already been exchanged with Moscow. 

"We will continue to destroy the invaders," Syrskyi wrote according to Newsweek. "It doesn't matter whether they have Russian or North Korean passports."

"The heroic actions of the Ukrainian military forced the enemy to maintain a significant group of forces on its territory and transfer reserves from other directions," Syrskyi wrote alongside a photo of him congratulating troops in the region. 

Whether or not Ukraine will be able to hold the territory that it captured in Kursk has yet to be seen. Donald Trump will reassume the presidency on January 20th and what plan he will put in place still isn’t clear. 

American military and financial support for Ukraine could dry up after Trump takes over the reins of government again or the President-Elect could force the two powers into negotiations, which could see the land in Kursk become a valuable bargaining chip. 

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