Ukraine’s troops vastly outnumbered and facing ‘huge swarms’ of Russian drones in Kursk retreat

Troops outnumbered by arsenic overmuch arsenic six to 1 connected the battlefield, the main proviso way chopped disconnected and swarms of drones attacking vehicles and soldiers retreating crossed the borderline backmost into Ukraine. That is the representation painted by a elder Ukrainian service serviceman arsenic Kyiv's forces are pushed backmost from their foothold successful Russia's Kursk by Vladimir Putin's troops.

Russian forces, with the assistance of thousands of North Korean troops, person been upping the unit connected Ukraine's ranks for the past 2 weeks – arsenic Kyiv looks to bent onto the onshore it audaciously seized past summer.

The colonel, with connections to the General Staff of Ukraine's service – who has not been named successful bid for him to talk to The Independent freely – said that his country's troops were outnumbered by 3 to 1 astatine a minimum, but that became six to 1 successful immoderate areas.

He added that the fig of drones utilized by the Russians to people soldiers had grown successful caller weeks. “Huge swarms of Russian drones hover supra the main retreat way for the Ukrainians," helium said. "They are being operated by much skilled Russian drone pilots than we’ve seen previously, particularly FPV [first idiosyncratic view] pilots."

"So Ukrainian armoured vehicles, thin-skinned vehicles similar pickups and ambulances; artillery and different instrumentality are having to tally a relentless gauntlet arsenic they caput southbound towards the Ukrainian border,” the colonel added.

He said that withdrawing vehicles marque casual targets successful daytime – little truthful astatine nighttime – though Russian drones with nighttime imaginativeness oregon heat-seeking systems tin inactive pinpoint Ukrainian targets.

There has ever been lone 1 large way into Kursk from Ukraine’s Sumy region, which saw Kyiv’s forces rotation successful against feeble absorption successful August. That road, on which The Independent travelled with Ukrainian forces successful the aftermath of that assault, was the astir important conduit for its weapons and ammunition replenishments, food, water, aesculapian supplies and evacuation.

The colonel said that this azygous roadworthy was besides ever the large weakness for Kyiv’s forces, which the Russians are present exploiting.

However, the colonel was astatine pains to constituent retired that portion Putin has boasted that Ukrainians are successful wide formation with thousands surrounded by his troops, the withdrawal had not descended into implicit chaos. “It’s not a rout and our troops are mostly withdrawing successful a disciplined mode alternatively than fleeing successful disarray," the colonel said.

He added that though Kyiv’s forces are being beaten backmost “large Ukrainian formations person not been surrounded, arsenic the Russians claim, but immoderate tiny units whitethorn person mislaid interaction and mightiness beryllium successful information of being encircled.”

Moscow's forces person said successful caller days that they person taken power of Sudzha, the largest municipality Kyiv's forces had seized. But the colonel said that Ukraine inactive held positions beyond the municipality and would support warring arsenic agelong arsenic possible.

He said: “Ukrainian forces are inactive warring hard and holding positions to the northwest and westbound of Sudzha. They volition combat arsenic agelong arsenic imaginable due to the fact that we inactive anticipation to usage the remaining Russian territory we clasp to commercialized for Russian-occupied territory successful Ukraine successful immoderate aboriginal negotiations.”

Putin, who visited Kursk past week, has threatened that the Ukrainian soldiers helium claims are surrounded volition look decease unless they surrender. The colonel said that Ukrainian forces bash not judge that surrender guarantees staying alive, citing a video flagged by the Ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for quality rights, Dmytro Lubinets, which Mr Lubinets alleged shows Ukrainian prisoners of warfare being executed. The colonel suggested that footage came from Kursk.

The colonel said: “A video has emerged of 5 Ukrainian prisoners successful Kursk being executed... Those executions are not random. We cognize Russian commanders are ordering their men to execute Ukrainian prisoners and the fig of specified executions is growing.”

“So cipher believes Putin’s promises to spare lives and you tin expect that Ukrainian soldiers volition enactment up fierce resistance,” helium added.

Over the play Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said determination were signs Russian forces were preparing to transverse implicit from Kursk into Ukraine’s Sumy region. The colonel said that tiny groups of Russian troops had crossed into Sumy from respective points on the borderline but were being repelled by Ukrainian forces which had prepared for that possibility.

Moscow has stepped up attempts to regain each of its Kursk portion and inhabit much Ukrainian territory on the 600-mile frontline up of immoderate imaginable ceasefire agreements. President Donald Trump has said helium volition talk with Putin connected Tuesday astir a 30-day ceasefire crossed the frontline that has already been agreed by Ukraine and the US.