Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian soil have an advantage they've never had in this war
shows members of the Ukrainian military in Russia's Kursk region. Video obtained by Reuters Ukrainian troops in Russia have an advantage that they haven't had before in this war.Being on foreign soil means less pressure to defend and more strategic options, war experts say.One expert told BI that Ukraine could "fight where it's advantageous and pull back when it's not."  Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview Email address By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. 

Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian soil have a kind of flexibility in combat that they haven't had before in this war.

Ukrainian forces surged into the southwestern Russian region of Kursk in August, and at the peak of the incursion, they held about 500 square miles. Russia has taken back some territory, but the Ukrainians still hold ground inside.

Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion had, prior to the Kursk incursion, taken place exclusively on Ukrainian soil, its long-range drone strikes on military facilities and oil refineries and Black Sea battles aside.

Though there are certain advantages to fighting in your home country, the desire to defend as much as possible hinders the ability to be brutally strategic in combat, conflict experts told Business Insider.

Michael Bohnert, a warfare expert at the RAND Corporation, said Ukraine's advantage in Kursk is that "they don't have to defend any of those cities" because they're Russian. "You just fight where it's advantageous and pull back when it's not. And that's a really efficient way of fighting," he said.

A new advantage

Fighting at home, Ukraine's forces have clung to some cities fiercely, battling the Russians for them until they have no other choice but to fall back. Bakhmut is one example, but there have been others as Ukraine focuses its efforts on defending as much territory as possible.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been an unusual one, at least as far as major wars go, in that it has largely taken place on only one country's soil, which has put Ukraine at a big disadvantage and often left its troops stuck.

But that's no longer the case.

Inside Kursk, Bohnert said, "they can just take advantage of the terrain, fight in the most efficient way possible, and ultimately they can leave" if they need to protect their forces or equipment or pursue some other objective. And they can do so without repercussions, which isn't the case inside Ukraine, he added.

by Khabooem

11 comments

  2. It was so dumb stoping right at contact while the Kursk offensive for this exact reason! Communication&organizations are somewhat better on Ukraine side since they train up NATO standards plus at that time they had the drone reconnaissance advantage on their side. They could have penetrated just behind Kursk to hinder Russia a secure incursions and leaving of the city itself. They got in their like they needed to hold on every measurement of space like for forever. It would have been far more effective if they would have just contested, but a wider space up to the city. The decision to do this before that was an absolut tactical blunder in my opinion. They would have even had more space to navigate & trade now. Not to mention the immense effect on the Russian public if the city of Kursk itself had been endangered. But what do I know…

  3. Unless the author is saying leave Kursk entirely they can’t just leave, they still need to keep certain lines of defense, strategic points, evacuation and resupply routes.

    I wish Ukraine had enough troops and equipment to replicate this in Bryansk and Belgorod or be able to advance in Kursk or else this front will be just an elongated attrition front just like in the south!

  6. Unless the Ukrainian army advances and takes the city of Kursk, which would have change the tide of the war over to the Ukrainians implications, there’s no real strategic point in the Kursk offensive besides diverting Russian forces to the area. I think the Russians are more than happy to let the Ukrainians occupy the rural, forested parts of Kursk oblast if it means they can shell and bomb them. One big disadvantage of Ukraine has in going on the offensive is they have to move their MLRS and artillery up and out in the open. We see confirmed HIMAR kills for the first time during the Kursk offensive.

  7. Good point.

    Also the real estate being blown up around you belong to the enemy, not your civilians.

  9. It’s about extending the range of drones. The more land they take in Russia, the deeper they can strike within Russia.

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