Ukrainians Express Surprise, Joy and Concern at Ongoing Kursk Incursion

As Ukraine continues its offensive in the Kursk region – the largest incursion into Russia since WWII – many Ukrainians are voicing delight.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the capture of the Kursk region town of Sudzha.

Ukrainians’ support for the incursion was evident under a video on a pro-Ukrainian Instagram channel about the first Ukrainian news broadcast from there, indeed, the first on Russian territory since 2022 – with many users praising the troops – or expressing amazement.

“Tell it to me in 2023 and I wouldn’t have believed it,” one user commented.

“If someone told me in 2014 that humanitarian aid would go from Ukraine to Russia, I would not believe it,” another user echoed, referencing Ukrainian troops’ aid delivery to residents in the Russian town of Sudzha, 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Kyiv Post reached out to a few Kyiv locals, asking them to share their thoughts.

‘It’s only fair’

“I like what’s happening,” Vika, an IT worker, told Kyiv Post. “So overall, as an average person, I think that it’s only fair that Russians experience the horrors of this war on their own land. It is a way to defend [what’s] ours.”

Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, Aug. 14, that the operation’s goal is to create a “buffer zone” to prevent Russian shelling of Ukraine.

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Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, said the Kursk operation is part of Ukraine’s efforts to coerce Russia into negotiations.

Vika said she doesn’t believe Ukraine intends to hold the newly controlled territories, adding, she has no desire for it to.

“I don’t give a f**k about having Kursk be part of Ukraine. I don’t think that’s the goal personally.

“I guess that’s about distracting Russian forces, moving them from Ukraine…and also prevent more damage to Ukrainians, to our land, to people, and have the enemy experience all that instead, because that’s only fair,” she said.

Her views were partially echoed by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi on Tuesday, Aug. 13.

“Ukraine doesn’t need anyone else’s property, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” he’d said in a statement.

Mariia, a 25-year-old PhD student, agreed that Ukraine does not need to annex Russian territories, but said there’s a chance they can be exchanged for the Ukrainian territories now under Russian occupation.

“It’d be something nice to have in exchange, that they have our territories, and now we have theirs. We basically don’t need them, because we don’t need anything from them, but we want our territories back, so we can exchange them,” she said.

Surprised by the Kursk incursion

Ukraine has been tightlipped about its operation, and those interviewed by Kyiv Post suggested this approach has its pros and cons.

“I was surprised, to say the least when the operation unexpectedly commenced,” Anton, a 30-year-old private entrepreneur, told Kyiv Post.

Vika said that the information blackout was a key to the success of the Kursk operation.

“I assume from what I read [that] even most of the executors of this [operation] they didn’t know until [the] very last days, the whole plan,” Vika said.

“Maybe that’s what it was like … in 2023 the counteroffensive didn’t really work out because everybody was so hyped in [it] … people, civilians should f*****g calm down and not expect [Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr] Syrsky to report on his every step, so that’s the important shoutout to make here,” she added.

Meanwhile, Anton had some reservations about it.

“This information blackout continues even now, which is unusual for our government. It certainly boosted morale – it’s encouraging to see that we can defend and go on the offensive as well. And I must admit, I enjoy reading the hysteria in pro-Russian media.”

“However, there’s another side to the coin: the toll on people, resources, and weapons. Everyone understands that advancing into Russian territory is not a simple task. It has always been said that attacking is more difficult and costly in terms of losses than defending. But the reality remains unclear – there’s an information blackout,” he added.

He also expressed skepticism about Ukrainian successes in Kursk and said the incursion might be drawing attention away from the dire situation on other fronts, such as in the Donbas, a concern voiced by a special forces operative to Kyiv Post. 

“I was surprised, to say the least when the operation unexpectedly commenced. By the way, Syrsky mentioned 1,000 square kilometers, while [open source intelligence map] DeepState reports over 500 square kilometers,” Anton said.

“The victory feels exaggerated – we entered the Kursk region, yet the triumph feels as if we’re standing near Moscow. Meanwhile, support and noise are coming from all directions, even as we retreat in the Donbas…To sum up, I’m approaching this with a cool head,” he said.

Vika, however, was mostly delighted by the news coming out of Kursk.

“I only hope all our soldiers come back alive,” she said.